All or nothing
by Candlesmoke18
Summary: When the world is threatened with an eternal darkness, four teenagers are our only hope. Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons. (Merricup x Jackunzel) rated mostly for explicit language (Nothing to serious) and romance.
1. Prologe

**Hi everybody. So, this is my first fanfic! I want to be an author, but I'm not sure how the writing sounds/looks. Please, please, please review me and tell me how I can be better. **

It was only August, but North had already received one hundred and thirty-two letters from children around the world. It had been two years since he and his fellow guardians brought down the King of Nightmares, and ever since, more and more children had been believing; the feeling was irreplaceable. For once, everything was perfect. North lounged back in his chair, and softly sipped his gallon-sized mug filled with cocoa. Little did he know, his joy was short-lived.

A short knock sounded at his door. "Yes?" North called. The door opened just a crack and a girl with multicolored hair and bright purple eyes popped her head in.

"North," Tooth said "You should see this."

Jack was standing on top of the gigantic globe that showed each and every believer out there with a shimmering light. He was bent over the county known as Iceland. At first, North thought it was just because of the albino boys shadow that the country seemed unusually dark, but when he moved away, it remained completely black. That could only mean one thing, and it put a knot in North's beard; No believers.

Jack met the large Russian man's hazel eyes and a horrible understanding passed between the two. 'Pitch.' A golden question mark popped up above Sandy's (the-one-and-only Sandman) head, then it seemed to hit him, and the punctuation was replaced by a knowing look and a silhouette of the Nightmare King himself; Pitch Valenious Black. Tooth gasped in shock. "You sure, mate?" Bunny asked to no-one in particular.

Just then, a silvery moonbeam shot through the skylight, at well, the speed of light. It illuminated the circle of gems embedded in the floor. A shadow passed over the spotlight, creating the form of a thin and unusually tall man cackling. A feeling like cement hardening settled in jacks' stomach. Tooth started flitting around the room, her wings emitting a loud hum. "How'd he come back? What if he's stronger? What if he has help? We barely beat him last time!" Tooth rattled off. Even by Jack's crazy standards, she was seriously ADHD.

A low whirring sound came from the floor, drowning out Toothiana's ranting. A hole opened in the floor and a six-foot tall crystal emerged from it. "Already?" North asked in complete awe.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, his confusion getting worse. "Manny's picked a new guardian, ya gumbie." Bunny said in an I-know-more-than-you voice. "My apologize your royal kangarooness" Jack retorted with a mocking bow. "Bring it on, ya bloody show pony!"

"Now is not the time!" North bellowed. Just then, the crystal lit up the entire room. A hologram of a lanky boy with disheveled brown hair that was most covered by a Viking helmet that appeared to be four sizes two big appeared. "Hiccup Haddock III" Manny's ancient voice rang out. The image switched to a girl. At first Jack thought her head was on fire until her realized it was her hair. She stood proudly, and tightly gripped a wooden bow. "Merida DunBroch." Manny boomed. By then, most of the elves had gathered to look at the bright shiny thing. The image changed again and Jack felt his heart skip a few beats. It showed a beautiful girl with long, seriously long, blonde hair and the most gorgeous emerald eyes. Jack felt his cheeks get very warm and quickly looked away when he noticed Bunny smirking at him. "Rapunzel Corona" Even her name was pretty. The image flickered again to show a boy with brilliant white hair holding a wooden shepherds crook. "Jackson Frost" Jack could feel every pair of eyes trained directly on him. Manny's voice rang out again "Find them." Then the light promptly shut off and the crystal disappeared under their feet once again.

It was decided that North and Bunny would fetch Hiccup; Tooth would have a 'girl talk' with Merida (whatever that meant) while Jack and Sandy would go and get Rapunzel. Jack kept his cool, but on the inside he was doing a little happy dance.

"Explain what you can." North told them as he handed each group two teleportation snow globes. "I will do more of the explaining when we have them all together." And with that, he and Bunny disappeared off to a land called Berk while Tooth set off for Scotland. Sandy and Jack glanced at each other than both jumped into their portal. An express pass to the kingdom of Corona

**I will try to post the next chapter soon. I promise it will get better!**


	2. Meeting the blonde

**Hey guys. Hope you like it. I know the plot so far is totally cliché and done before, but I promise it will get better in following chapters.**

Chapter 2 Jack POV

I tumbled out of the portal onto the grass. Sitting up, I tried to spit out the bright green blades filling my mouth. Sandy silently laughed at me. "Oh, shut up." I mumbled. He pretended to zip up his mouth.

Looking around, all I saw was forest. Green, and more green. There wasn't a kingdom anywhere in sight. A golden map popped up above the little golden man's head. "I don't know." I admitted, leaning against a cliff wall coated in vines, or at least I meant to. Suddenly, I was flat on my face again, and the sun was gone. Turning around, I realized that the cliff wall I'd attempted to rest on was non-existent. Just a bunch of vines that hung over a large opening in the cliff. Sandy stuck his head through to see if I was still alive, and pointed behind me. Daylight leaked into the dark cavern. Shrugging my shoulders, I asked "Why not?" and marched into the light.

The passage opened up into a small valley that reminded me of my cereal bowl back at North's workshop. Round and well… bowl-like. A small waterfall tumbled over the wall and fed into a stream. I guess the saying 'The grass is always greener on the other side' was referring to that stupid moss curtain, 'because the grass here was a brilliant shade of near neon green. But what caught my eyes, was the architecture. I know what you're thinking, "He's lost it." But I'm totally serious there was an extremely tall tower just sitting there smack in the middle of the valley.

As Sandy and I got closer, I noticed that the only entrance was a single window. "Come on." I whispered to Sandy, but he shook his head. A series of images flashed above his head very rapidly. The only one I actually caught was a picture on Rapunzel running away in fear. "Your right." I said. "We don't want to overwhelm her. If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, come help me." He gave me a thumbs-up before I took off.

I landed on the windowsill as gingerly as I could. Looking inside, all I saw was a circular room filling the entirety of the tower. I quietly climbed inside, and noticed that everything, walls, table, and even the little stove were covered in elaborate paintings. They were exceptional.

*Clang*

I fell to the ground. My ears rung and my head ached. I clutched what was sure to become a huge bump, like the ones cartoon characters get when an anvil lands on their head. I muttered a few choice swear words, that Tooth would wash my mouth out for. After the ringing died down and the pain turned to a dull throbbing, I turned around to see what the hell hit me.

"Who are you?" A girl's voice came from the shadows. It took several moments for her words to register in my brain. She stepped out of the shadows, and the first thing I saw were her bare feet. They walked straight toward me and I scrambled back a little. I looked up. Even when she was obviously furious, this girl was absolutely stunning. Her rosy cheeks and nose were splashed with freckles. Her eyes were the same breath-taking green as the sea after a storm. And then there's her hair. Golden blonde and-

My thoughts were interrupted when she spoke again. "Who are you and how did you find me?" She gripped the handle of a frying pan tightly. So that's what hit me.

"Me? I'm-"Then a though occurred to me. "You can see me?" She rolled her eyes. "Of course I can. If this is a magic trick, it's not working." I wanted to jump up and do a jig. This was the first person older than six years old to see me since I was alive. Somehow, I managed to refrain from dancing. Don't want to look like a fool in front of the pretty girl. Gotta keep my cool.

"No, this isn't a trick. My name is Jack Frost by the way." She snorted "Right, and I'm the Queen of the Universe." This girl had some sass. "Well your majesty," I bowed. "Would you like me to prove it?" Before she could answer, I tapped my staff to the floor, and frost exploded from the tip, stretching and spiraling out into a flower that took up the whole floor. Rapunzel stared at it, then me. I flashed her a smile. To my surprise, she returned it showing off teeth as white as snow. Trust me, I would know. "Do I get to know your name?" I asked "or shall I just call you Your Majesty?"

She finally lowered her frying pan. "I'm Rapunzel." Man, I loved that name. A small strand of her long hair hung over her face, but I resisted the urge to brush it away for her. I got her to look at me, and neither of us would look away.

The moment was ruined when a sickly sing-song voice rang out "Rapunzel my flower, I'm home. Let down your hair" Before I could ask she yelled back. "Coming mother!" then promptly stuffed me into a closet with surprising strength.

The doors muffled most of their conversation, but I definitely caught something about lanterns and when her mother screamed "YOU ARE NEVER LEAVING THIS TOWER, EVER!" Followed by the sound of skin on skin, like a high-five.

Several minutes later, a very sullen and defeated looking Rapunzel opened the door. One of her cheeks was red. Her 'mother' had slapped her. "Whoa Blondie." I said "What was that about?" She turned her back to me and placed her head in her hands. "It's complicated." I could tell I was treading on dangerous territory but I gently asked "You've never left?" "No" she replied "Mother says it's dangerous for me out there. That there are people who want to hurt and take advantage of me."

"Well, I promise I'm not one of those people. I would never hurt you, or let anyone else." She looked up at me through a curtain of hair. My blue eyes met her green ones. "You want to leave this valley?"

"I want to see the world." She replied.

"Well, I have a deal for you. The whole reason I'm up in this precarious tower of your in the first place is because I need your help. My world is in danger. And if you trust me, I can take you away from here." Her eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked. "Yeah. I can show you so many things."

Several emotions, ranging from pure joy to complete devastation flashed across her face as she had internal battle with herself. Eventually, she straightened and walked to the windowsill. She looped her hair around a hook on the frame. Only now did I realize just how much hair was attached to that girls head. Seventy feet at least. It snaked around the room twice.

"Let's go." And with that, she grabbed her hair and jumped out the window.


	3. And here we go again

Chapter 3 Jack's POV

"Just great." I thought to myself, afraid to look out the window at her corpse spread across the grass. "I made her kill herself." But just then, I heard a giggle from below and peered out the window. Rapunzel was rolling around in the grass and playing in the stream like a little kid.

I drifted down and leaned on my staff beside Sandy. He watched her with a sleepy smile, and I got the feeling he had taken my absence as a napping opportunity. Great backup I've got huh? After a moment he gestured for me to go to Rapunzel.

"Hey Punz!" I called. She seemed to like that nickname better than Blondie. "Did you know the grass was so soft? I mean look at it!" she squealed. "You say it like you never knew until now." I chuckled. She suddenly became very interested in her feet. "Wait a second. You've never felt the grass?" "Correction. Never been outside. When I said I never left, I meant I never left the tower." She wouldn't meet my eyes. No wonder she wanted to see the world. I know all about lonely, I've had 312 years of it. But at least I had the whole world to keep myself busy. Rapunzel had herself and her so called 'mother.' I didn't buy that bit for one second. She may have had Rapunzel fooled, but no mother would trap their child in a damn tower.

I led her back over to the base of her tower. "This is Sandy. Sandy meet-"but she cut me off. "Rapunzel." She introduced herself. He smiled a bowed to the blonde. "He kind of can't talk. We're not sure why." I explained. She took his hand and shook it vigorously when he stood up straight again, causing his golden hair to bounce around wildly. A small snow globe appeared on top of his disheveled hair. "Your right. North will be waiting for us."

Sandy threw our second teleportation snow globe, opening a swirling silver vortex back to the workshop. Sandy leapt in immediately. I held out my hand to Rapunzel. "You ready to see the world?" her eyes drifted back to her tower, then met mine. She softly smiled, puffed up her chest, and bravely took my hand. We leapt in together.

The shear G-force of the vortex pulled us apart, so I popped out after Sandy. Coming out of the portal, I was ready for the impact and managed to stay on my feet. Rapunzel was not so lucky. She tumbled out after me, and my reflexes took over. I caught her midair. She looked up at me. Our faces were mere inches apart. I wanted to close the gap so badly. I was so intoxicated by her deep green eyes; I jumped a little when she said "Uh, Jack. You can put me down now." I blushed "Right."

Sandy led us to a small side room. It was large enough to accommodate the group within it, but still had a cozy feel to it. Furnished with fuzzy beanbag chairs and a little fire crackling away in the mantel. "Took ya long enough Frostbite." Bunny chortled. "Shut it Kangaroo." I retorted. 'Everyone, meet Rapunzel."

**Sorry this chapter was kinda short, but the next one will be up soon. Please tell me what you think and how it can be better. I promise the plot will improve soon. Just wait and see.**


	4. i'm offered a job

Chapter 4 Rapunzel's POV

I could feel all seven pairs of eyes on me. Then a bird, no wait, woman with multicolored feathers and fairy wings flew up to me. "Hi sweetie." Her voice was fast but soft as silk. "I'm Toothiana, but everybody calls me Tooth." I giggled a little, flashing her a smile. "I love your na-"but I couldn't finish my sentence because she had pried my mouth open and began examining my teeth. Apparently, flossing was a big deal, because she hugged me so tightly I felt my ribs crack when she found out. "Tooth, don't kill her please." Jack said, pulling her off me.

The biggest man in the room stood by the fire. He bellowed "there will be time for introductions later." His voice carried a heavy Russian accent as thick as mothers' nasty hazelnut soup. "I would like a word with our guests." He paused. When no-one moved, he added "Alone." Tooth walked out of the room with the little man named Sandy, and the largest rabbit I had ever seen. He looked more like a kangaroo to me.

Jack had plopped down on one of the huge lumps occupying the room, and motioned for me to do the same. Cautiously, I sat down on a furry purple blob. I sank so low into it; I thought it was going to eat me. Regaining my composure, I got my first good look at the other two in the room. Both were massaging their own jaws. I guess that was Tooth's standard greeting. On my left, a girl with a huge mane of unruly and fiery hair sat in a green blob. Her fierce hazel eyes met mine. We both smiled at each other in unison. I could tell we'd be close.

The other person in the room was a lanky boy. His shaggy brown hair was extremely disheveled, as though he had walked through a cyclone to get here. He fiddled with his fur vest nervously, and occasionally rubbed his nose like he was trying to wipe the freckles off. He sat next to jack on my right.

The firelight illuminated his silvery hair, and played in his pale blue eyes. He lounged comfortably on a white lump and looked very at ease; so cool. Ironic, huh?

The big man with the bigger belly stood by the mantel watching the flame. I was slightly afraid his long grey beard would light. "Welcome." He said "My newest guardians. You must be very curious as to why you have been gathered here." The brunette boy piped up "Just a little."

"In most basic terms, we need the four of you to save the world." Complete silence. He took a deep breath and sucked in about half the air in the room before continuing. "A man, the King of night to be exact, Pitch Valenious Black, has risen from the shadows to seize power once again. This is not the first time he's tried to do so. In fact, his last attempt was a mere two years ago, but my fellow Guardians and I managed to defeat him." The fire-headed girl cut in "Then why do you need us, four teenagers?" "Because my dear, we believe he is not alone this time. But in each of you lies something very special. Something that is rare today; Undefeatable hope and boundless courage." I wasn't really feeling the 'boundless courage' part at that moment. "and this is why the Man in Moon has chosen you to be the new guardians of the seasons. One of the most ancient powers, and when combined, the strongest. If you will accept the job." We all glanced at each other nervously. Then, without a single thought in my head, I stood and looked the man straight in the eye. "It's a chance to do something with my life. I, Rapunzel Corona, accept." I could practically feel all four of them staring at me, but I din't back down or even flinch. Then Jack stood beside me. "I, Jackson Frost, accept." I was so glad he was standing next to me. It reassured me that I wasn't being completely crazy.

Then in complete unison, the other two rose and announced "I accept." They both blushed deep crimson and refused to look at eachother.

"So," I asked. "How are we going to send the Boogeyman back to the hole he crawl out of?" The Russian giant chuckled. "So glad you asked dear. Follow me and I'll show you."


	5. We get new accesories

**Hey guys. Two things. 1-as you've probably noticed, I don't write accents. I just find it harder to read, but you can imagine the accent if it means that much to you. 2- I'm sick of everyone portraying Rapunzel as the naïve and weak one. Yeah, she's innocent, but that doesn't mean she can't be tough too. If you have any pointers on how I can write her to be tougher, let me know! Thanks.**

…

**Chapter 5 Rapunzel's POV**

The Russian giant gestured for all of us to stand by him and placed his hand on the mantel. It had beautiful carvings along it. A flower, suns, leafs, and snowflakes were all intertwined in the wood. At the center of it all was a carving of a moon. He placed his left hand on it, and gently pushed. As he did so, each main carving sunk into the wood. I heard low clicking and whirring sounds, then suddenly, we were all whisked off into a completely different room. "Rotating fireplace." The girl with the fiery hair muttered. "Why not?"

We all stood in a brightly lit alabaster cave. It seemed as though the light was coming from a skylight in the ceiling, but when I looked up, there wasn't one. The light just kind of seeped out of the thousands of gems of all different colors that jutted out from the walls.

A small pond of turquoise water reflected the lights. Growing straight out of the center of the pond was a proud and tall tree. Its branches wore a hodge-podge of different colors. Some had beautiful pink and purple flowers, while some were adorned with bright green leaves. Some of its leaves were warm shades of orange and red (several of which had fallen of and were now floating lazily in the water), several branches were bare, with light snow and frost clinging to them. I was so memorized by the piece of artwork before me; I had forgotten there were other people in the room/cavern. I jumped a little when the big man said from behind me. "This is the Tree of the Seasons. If you would all step into the water please." We all did as we were told. The cool crisp water felt amazing on my bare, calloused feet. It was almost like I felt stronger standing in it. "Place your left hand on the tree please." The wood was warm under my fingers. I could feel an ancient power coursing through the bark.

"The seasons each hold great power; one of the most ancient forces in existence on this planet. In each of you, lies the ability to tap this power and channel it through your being, if you are willing to find it within yourselves first. But with a great power comes a great burden. You must swear to protect your season and everything it stands for with all the breath in your body. If you decide to protect the Earth and her changes, she will repay you by stop all changes in you. By that, I mean you will become Guardians. You shall not age, or die any natural death. I can say nothing to death on the battle field. You will be allowed to visit your families, but they may not know of your secret. No mortal can, for they are rather bad at keeping them. I have told you everything I can. Do you accept?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely."

"Bring it on."

"Let's do this"

"Rapunzel Corona. You are the Guardian of the Spring. Inside of you is an endless well of hope. You will stand for creativity and loyalty as well as rebirth. Welcome."

My pulse quickened when I felt a tug in my gut. It forced my eyes closed. All I could hear was blood rushing through the veins in my ears like a tidal wave. When I opened my eyes, it was like my senses were all on overdrive. Everything was sharper and clearer, but I was also much more relaxed and comfortable with myself. Even my breath came in and out more easily. Mother had always told me I wasn't very pretty or smart, but I finally felt like maybe she was wrong. I didn't feel like the clumsy naïve girl that walked into this water. I felt like someone worthwhile for a change.

"Merida DunBroch" The other girl straightened. "Guardian of Summer. You have such a deep need for independence. You will stand for freedom and rebellion as well as self-discovery. Welcome" She suddenly closed her eyes as well.

"Hiccup Haddock." The lanky brunette snapped to attention. "Guardian of Autumn. Your ingenuity is un-paralleled. You stand for forgiveness and empathy as well as wisdom. Welcome." His eyelids snapped closed as well.

"Jackson Frost. Guardian of Winter. You have always found the fun in every situation. You stand for adventure and perseverance above all odds. Welcome." Tilting his head slightly back, his eyes slid closed as well.

After a moment, we all locked eyes in turn. None of us seemed scared or nervous anymore. Everyone seemed more whole, more _there._ Suddenly the hand that each of us had placed on the trees trunk was pulled into the wood. At first, I struggled to pull it out. A warm sensation spread up my fingertips, into the rest of my body and I relaxed and let it happen. I could feel myself becoming firmly planted on the ground, but I still felt light as a feather.

"Pull." The man said gently. We all did. When we were released from the wood, each of our hands wore a glove without fabric for our fingers. As though someone had cut them off. Merida's bore a silky green glove adorned with silver swirls. Hiccups hand was dressed in a sturdy brown leather workers glove. Jacks hand wore a silvery fabric that matched his hair. It shimmered when he moved. My own palm sported purple lace; intricate flowers hidden in the fabric.

"Congratulations." The large man said, his voice overflowing with pride. He spread his arms to us. "Guardians."


	6. I get new friends and new bruises

Chapter 6 Hiccups POV

The new glove was definitely my style. It was just simple leather, soft from use. It was obviously not for show, but that suit me just fine. Part of it was blackened like it had been burned. The glove bore the mark of an inventor. But I wasn't too sure about the whole 'Guardian of Autumn' thing.

Stepping back through the fireplace and eventually in to the main workshop, all of the munchkins played music on what looked like miniature trumpets. It might have been nice if at least one of them was in tune. It would have been better if they all played the same song. Instead, my ear drums were bombarded with a sound like a dying beluga whale.

The Russian man emerged last and bellowed at the elves to shut up. He was huge, but I was used to extremely large men. Back home, my dad and even Gobber were twice my size at least. "I believe it's high time for introductions." He announced

A tall rabbit stepped forward. Now when I say rabbit, don't mistake it for a cute cuddly, harmless little thing. No, he was a six foot tall and walked on his hind legs like a human. He could definitely kick my ass, snap me in half, and then shred the halves into bits with the two razor sharp boomerangs slung across his back. "Bunnymund." He introduced himself in a smooth Australian accent. He shook my hand as well as the two girls. He just glared at the albino boy named Jackson. They obviously had some history.

"Bunnymund is the Guardian of hope. You might know him as the Easter bunny though." The tall man said.

"You mean kangaroo." Jackson said, earning a giggle from both of the girls. Man, I wish I could do that.

Next the bird-lady fluttered up. I immediately clenched my jaw and pressed my lips together. I was not anxious to have another 'inspection' as she put it. She spoke very rapidly, as though her mouth were struggling to keep up with her brain. "HI guys! I'm Toothiana. Welcome to the Guardians. You're sure to love it."

"Toothiana." The giant explained "guards' memories. She is better known as the Tooth fairy."

Lastly, a small man floated over to us lazily to shake my hand. He bowed to both girls and they returned the gesture. "This," the Russian announced "is Sandy. He is the Guardian of dreams." "You're the Sandman." I guessed. He beamed up at me. "He can't talk. We aren't sure why." Jackson piped up. Sandy simply shrugged.

"And I" the giant stepped forward "am North. Guardian of Wonder. The children know me as Santa Clause." Go figure.

North sauntered over to stand by his friends, nearly tripping over an elf. "Why must you always be underfoot?" he asked it. It just stared at him blankly before wandering off. It might have had a bit too much eggnog, because it stumbled around and smacked into a pole. I winced.

"Now it's your turn, mates" Bunnymund announced. Immediately the blonde girl stepped up. Her hair dragged behind her on the floor. I followed it with my eyes and realized it snaked all the way back into the sitting room. "Rapunzel. I'm Rapunzel Corona, and may I just say," she stared around the enormous workshop. "This place is awesome!" even I laughed at that one.

"But your walls are a bit bland." North chuckled. "Feel free to change that my dear." She beamed at him. I could tell she was already planning some kind of decoration.

The next one to step up was the girl with gorgeous red curls. I hoped I wasn't drooling. "The name is Merida DunBroch." Her voice had a sweet Scottish accent that made my heart turn into a fluttering butterfly in my chest.

I was too busy staring at Merida to introduce myself, so the other guy took the opportunity. "The names frost, Jack Frost." _Oh brother_, I thought. Bunnymund called to him. "Hey frostbite." Jack stuck his lounge out at him.

That left me. "Oh-uh. I'm Hiccup, Hiccup Haddock." Jack laughed a little, but Merida whacked him on the arm with the back of her hand. "Ouch." He complained. North spread his hands like he wanted a group hug. "Well, now that we are all friends, we train."

…

The training room reminded me of a dojo, if dojos were the size of airplane hangars. Weapons were hung on one wall, completely covering it up to the ceiling. The lowest ones I noticed, were just out of an elf's' reach. Santa Clause was a smart man.

North walked over to the weapon wall and grabbed two 3-foot long machetes. He swung them about absent-mindedly before sheathing them on his back. "If you are to have any hope at all of defeating Pitch, then I can guarantee that you will have to win some fights. I will teach you how." Apparently, Santa was also a drill Sargent. Who knew?

He snapped his fingers and two toy helicopters picked out swords from the wall and delivered them to Rapunzel and myself. It had a smooth hilt and felt balanced in my hand. Not like any of the swords back home. They were all meant for people who weren't walking fish bones. Rapunzel just stared at hers like it was completely alien to her. "Begin." North said. "Wait a second." I called. "What about the, teaching us how part?" "Start learning." He replied simply. A low groaning sound echoed through the room, like two pieces of metal grinding against each other. Jack gripped his staff. I wasn't sure what good it would do him, but whatever. Merida knocked two arrows at once in her bow, and I raised my sword. Rapunzel tossed hers aside. "What are you doing?" Merida asked her. "Don't worry about me." She relied.

Four automatons, life-like robots, rose from the floor. For a moment, they all stood still, and so did we. Then they charged. They ran straight at us, but I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship, and the fluidity of the joints.

'Snap out of it.' I chided myself. 'Not the time.'

Rapunzel tossed her hair like a lasso around a low ceiling support beam, and swung Tarzan style, kicking her automaton in the chest. It went flying. Both Jack and Merida charged. I was right behind them.

I clashed swords with the machine, but it matched my strength. The Viking in me came out, and for the first time in my life, I was glad my dad forced me to go to Dragon Slaying School. Sword fighting was basically the only thing they taught us, along with running for your life. I slashed and parried, but the thing matched my skills. It pushed me so hard, my hands started to go numb from gripping my sword hilt, but eventually, I got inside its lunge. I drove my sword hilt deep into its stomach.

The machine short-circuited and sent a couple volts of electricity through the sword before I could unclench my fingers, then it fell over backwards. I yanked my sword out and turned to face the others. They had all defeated their opponents as well. Rapunzel's hung from the ceiling in a golden noose attached to her head, and Merida's was coated in arrows. Jack's was frozen to the spot. It struggled hopelessly and eventually gave up.

I realized everyone was staring at me. "Sorry. I didn't mean to-"I started, but north cut me off. "Don't be sorry my boy. That was brilliant." He smiled, and I did my best to return it, but I was exhausted. "Good work. You are free to go. Phil will show you your rooms." A yeti with unruly hair stepped forward, and motioned for us to follow him.

"Nice hair." Jack mumbled to me under his breath. "What?" I asked. He conjured a hand mirror of ice and handed it to me. Looking in it, I saw that my hair was smoking and sticking up all over the place, like I'd been electrocuted, which I had. "Great." I muttered. He laughed and put an arm around my shoulder. "Come on; let's find you a comb or something."


	7. Romanctic advice

Chapter 7 Merida's POV

Walking through the halls, all of our footsteps echoed and bounced off the wall. None of us spoke. Frankly, we were all too exhausted from the 'training' session to walk straight, let alone talk. Me especially. I was mid-yawn when I collided with a wall. A furry wall.

After a moment, I realized I had run head on into our escort, Phil. Seeing as he was a yeti, he was extremely tall so I barely came to level with his elbows. But I still got a mouth full of hair and… coconut shampoo?

He peeled me off of him, set me down on the floor and patted me on the head so hard I felt my spine crunch. Turning toward us, he spoke in a series of grunts and whistles, which were accompanied by rather exuberant hand movements. Rapunzel stepped back to avoid being decapitated by his dinner plate sized hands. She gently bumped into Jacks chest, and her rosy cheeks got rosier.

I would have lost my head too but thank the Wisps for my reflexes. When one of Phil's overly large mitts came sweeping toward me at eye level, I just managed to duck. I felt the gust of air following his hand ruffle through my hair.

Rising cautiously, I kept one eye on his hands, but Phil just stared at us expectantly. I'm assuming we all had pretty blank expressions because he exasperatedly point to two doors adjacent from each other in the hall before throwing up his arms in surrender and walking away.

Jack gestured grandly to the door on the right. "Ladies, your room." He flashed us a cheesy smile before sauntering into the other room. Sticking his albino head back out the door he said "Come on Hic, lets brush your hair."

Hiccup followed him less enthusiastically, glancing back at me when he reached the door frame. When our eyes met, my heart stopped and my stomach did a back flip. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and hurried into the room, closing the door behind him.

I didn't realize how still I was standing, staring at the door with a giddy smile on my face, until Rapunzel placed a hand on my shoulder a shook it. "Come on." She coaxed

She and I stepped over the threshold and into our new room. The walls were painted a mix of velvety purple and emerald green, although one was blank. Rapunzel stared at it hungrily and I could see her brain going a mile a minute. Two, four poster canopy beds jutted out from the walls, curtains tied back. A mahogany dresser sat beside each.

What really caught my attention though was the little spring gurgling in the center of the room. Somehow I just knew it was freshwater. Maybe it was the lilies floating lazily in the base or the grass poking up through the soft white carpet.

I cupped my hands into the water and brought it to my lips. It was sweet in my mouth and cold in my throat. I shivered slightly as I swallowed.

"Rapunzel, you've got to try this." I called to her. She tore her eyes away from her next canvas-to-be, and walked over to my side. A she did, more of her hair glided into the room. Boy, she had a lot of the stuff. Three little elves were sitting on her hair and riding it like a train.

I shooed away the little morons, and she blushed. "Looks like you could start a taxi service." I remarked. She laughed. "Definitely."

"Doesn't it get tedious?" I asked

She sighed lightly, like a soft spring breeze. "Yeah. It just gets in the way when I'm not using it to hang robots." It was my turn to laugh. "You want me to braid it for you?"

She tilted her head slightly and stared at me as if I had just dropped from the sky. "Do what?" I felt my jaw hit the floor. "Seriously, you don't know what a braid is?" she looked at her bare toes. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Here, I'll show you."

I sat her on the edge of the bed, and handed her a brush. After a few minutes, the elves wandered back in. "You wanna help?" I asked. Rapunzel held up some of her hair. They all conjured miniature brushes and ran forward.

It turns out; the little idiots have a talent. Hair brushing. Between the eight of us, we got Rapunzel's hair smooth and silky in ten minutes tops.

Suddenly, an extremely loud crash sounded from the hall and the elves all lost interest in us, and scurried out to investigate the noise. Shrugging, I divided Rapunzel's hair into three parts and quickly fell into a rhythm. Over, under, switch, over, under, switch. She sighed gently. "You alright?" I asked.

"Yeah actually." A small smile tugged at her lips. "I'm wonderful. I just never knew how it would feel."

"What?"

"Well, no-one's ever brushed my hair before just to brush it. I mean Mother brushed it every day, but… she pulls really hard." I could tell she was not telling me everything about her mom, but decided against pressing her for more information. I could tell it was a touchy subject, and fully understood having a testy relationship with your mom.

"Not even at a sleepover" I asked

"What's a sleepover?"

I giggled, trying to come up with an adequate description. "Well, it's when friends get together and have a party, and play pranks, and eat junk food, and talk. Despite the name, no-one ever actually sleeps."

Her voice suddenly got very quiet and her posture timid. "Are we friends?"

I felt a warm feeling in my gut and it spread all over my body. A huge smile formed on my lips, and I could not nor had any desire to suppress it. "I don't see why not."

She turned around and hugged me so tight, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. I squeezed her back just as tightly. "Thank you." She mumbled into my neck. "You're the first friend I've ever had." I wrapped her even tighter.

"You're welcome."

When we finally pulled apart, tears had pioneered a path down both of our cheeks. We wiped our eyes on the comforter, not worrying about getting makeup on it because the vile stuff had never touched either of our faces. After we had composed ourselves again, Rapunzel turned around to let me continue braiding.

"You know," I said, smiling devilishly at the back of her head. "Since we're friends now, I can ask you the question that's been eating me alive. What is going on with you and Jack?" I couldn't see her face but I knew she was blushing.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on. It's so obvious you like him. Besides he can't stop staring at you."

"I mean he cute and funny, but-wait what do you mean, he couldn't stop staring?"

"I mean that boy is falling for you-hard… so, you think he's cute?"

I could tell she was getting flustered. "Well, I mean…yeah I do." She sighed.

I laughed a little and shook my head at the floor. That's when I saw them.

Flowers, all sorts and colors were blooming all around her feet despite of the carpet. I tapped her shoulder. "I didn't know you could do that." I said pointing to the floor. She followed my finger with her eyes. "Neither did I."

Our eyes met, and then a soft light seeped up from Rapunzel's lap. Some of the flowers ingrained into the lace on her glove were glowing silver. "No way." We said at the same time.

Once it had faded, I plucked a flower from the floor and wove it into her hair-do.

Jack POV

Our room was pretty sweet. Waterbeds, open space for dueling (weapons included), a workbench for Hiccup and his inventions, and a simple desk piled high with blank paper that I just knew was for me.

Okay, I admit it. I am a poet. Sometime in the last few hundred years, I discovered and fell in love with poetry. People don't have to see you, to be able to read what you write; even if I do have to sign it as 'Anonymous.' It's worth knowing that someone has at least heard my voice, just through the eyes not the ears.

Some gel and a comb had been placed on the nightstand by Hiccups' bed, so I called him over. "Dude, this could take a while." "I've got time." he replied, plopping down on the bed rather unceremoniously. I picked up the comb and went to work on the giant knot also known as Hiccup's barbecued hair. Occasionally, I would have to pull pretty hard to get the comb free from his hairs grasp, but he only winced once.

I did my best to keep my voice light and casual but couldn't keep myself from smiling when I asked "So when you gonna tell her?"

The brunette turned to look at me. "What are you talking about?"

"Just your huge crush on Merida." He started to protest but I cut him off. "You know you like her. Head forward please."

He muttered about it, but obeyed, and stared at the wall. "Fine. I think she's pretty cute OK?"

"I knew it." I exclaimed, inserting the comb again. "When you are going to ask her out?"

He scoffed. "Yeah right."

"Well why not?" I asked.

"Two reasons. One, Merida is strong and independent. She doesn't need a guy. She can take care of herself. Two," he blushed deeply. "I've never asked a girl out before. I would have no idea what to do."

I felt a huge smile plaster itself onto my face. "One, just because she doesn't _need_ a boyfriend, doesn't mean she doesn't _want_ one. Two, I can teach you."

I pulled him to his feet. "Just great. Lessons from the love doctor." He muttered. I rolled my eyes "Oh come on. It'll be fun."

When I eventually got him to the center of the room, I realized that all we had in there to practice on was empty space. Hiccup gave me a look that clearly said I-told-you-this-is-hopeless-can-I-go-sit-down-now and he asked "What now, Romeo?"

"Hold tight. I'll be right back." I told him before bolting out the door. I found what I needed pretty easily. A cleaning closet.

A wave of thick, lemon scented air washed over me. It reminded me of the wax my little sister and I would put on our ice skates before- but that's not important. What is, is that I found the perfect practice dummy for Hiccup.

Hiccup looked at the mop in my hand when I dashed back into the room. "You can't be serious."

"Well, I am"

"I'm not going to flirt with a mop."

"Yes you are." I tossed him the mop, and he stumbled a little trying to catch it.

"Great. You realize this is ridiculous right?"

"How so?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "What would Merida want with me?" he asked glumly. "She deserves a great guy with huge beefy arms and extra guts and glory on the side. Me; I'm a talking fishbone."

I stopped dead in my tracks. It broke my heart to hear him talk about himself that way.

Taking a firm hold of his shoulder, I looked straight into those deep chestnut hazel eyes and said "You may not have huge biceps but you are a great guy. I know we met like, this morning, but I can just tell. Your funny (girls love that) and you put up with me pulling half your hair out, so you must be patient. You've got quite the brain." I rapped his skull with my knuckles. "And any girl who got her hands on all this…raw Viking-ness would be thanking her lucky stars."

He smirked and I knew I'd gotten through. Then he completely deflated.

"What?" I asked "I just got you all pumped up with my epic pep talk!"

"Well. I don't know how I'm going to walk up to her, let alone ask her out."

I chuckled. "That's what Mopida here and I are for. Flirtation consultants and love doctor extrodinairs"

He raised his eyebrow at me, and then the mop in his hand. "Mopida, and love doctor?"

I held up my hands in surrender. "Rapunzel's the creative one, not me."

Rolling his eyes, and twisting Mopida around in his fingertips he asked "So-what do I do doc?"

"Well, first; you have to be confident. Girls like it when you seem like your confident. It shows that you actually want them, and weren't dared into it or something. Don't get me wrong, if your arrogant, she'll hate you almost instantly. All I mean is that you hold your ground, make eye contact and keep talking even if you're scared."

"Ok, so be nice and don't run away. I can do that."

"Next is when it gets a little harder. Conversation. It gets easier once you get the ball rolling, but the ice-breaker is always hard. Give me your best cheesy pick-up line."

He awkwardly held Mopida and mumbled "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

I had to fight hard to contain my laughter. "Not bad, not bad. But everybody uses that one. It's got to be unique. Let me demonstrate."

Flipping back Mopidas' stringy white hair, I leaned in close. "I thought happiness started with an H. So why does mine start with U?"

Hiccup didn't bother holding it in and sparing my feelings, so he cracked up. "Seriously?"

"It works on some girls." I said crossing my arms defiantly. "But what will totally hook any girl is a little sweet nothing. It can't be bullshit though. You've got to mean it." I handed him the broom. "Give it a shot.

He took the mop like it might explode. "Hey Mopida." He stumbled over the words. "Your hair looks really…white today." It was my turn to laugh a little.

He shoved the mop into my chest. "Alright Romeo, make Mopida want you then."

"Alright, watch and learn."

I gripped her handle gently. "Hey Rapunzel, the room got duller in comparison when you walked in the door."

Hiccup stared at me. At first I thought he was just to stunned with my awesome flirtations. Then I realized what I had done. I felt myself blush straight down to my Adams apple.

"I knew it!" he shouted. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

"Oh no you didn't. You never would have guessed I liked her if I hadn't just screwed up."

His expression was a look of 'really?' "You couldn't stop staring at her the entire time since the two of you stepped out of that portal."

"Shut up." I told him

"Tell you what. How about we agree to take the girls on at least one date by the end of the month. You ask Rapunzel, I'll ask Merida. Deal?" he held out his hand, and I took it.

I grabbed it firmly. "Deal."

_**Ta-da! Thank you for my reviews. I appreciate anything you have to tell me. Don't be shy. I won't get offended or anything like that if you don't like it. I promise! See you all soon.**_


	8. Off to Berk

Chapter 8 Rapunzel's POV

Merida and I finally decided to get some sleep when we realized it was 3:00 a.m. The time had just slipped by us. We had talked about every topic as long as it was random and laughed so much my stomach hurt. We ate four bags of jellybeans and more popcorn than should be humanly possible. She painted my toes neon blue and I did hers with zebra stripes.

I couldn't believe I had my first sleepover ever. What was even better, I had my first friend…ever.

My eyes were just beginning to slide shut when an alarm set to the highest volume tore my eyes open. It made my teeth rattle in my head as I sat bolt upright. Merida sat up across the room, her wild hair sticking up all over the place.

We both darted into the halls, not bothering to change out of our nightgowns. The sound was tripled there. I couldn't even hear my own breathing.

The boys met us in the hall. They both wore pajama pants, but nothing more. I couldn't help myself from staring at Jack's defined chest. Both of them had wild eyes, and quite the hair-do. Hiccup's was plastered to one side of his head as though he'd trudged through a cyclone to get to the door. But it was no longer smoking, which was good. Bits of Jacks' silvery white hair reached up to the roof and out to the sides of his head. Somehow he managed to pull it off and still look hot. Ironic huh?

"What's going on?" I shouted over the noise. Everyone shrugged. "Let's find out." Jack yelled back. Merida chimed in "But where are we supposed to go? It's not like Phil can show us the way."

Just then, as if they had they heard Merida's question, strips of colorful light shot down the hall. They pulsed and rippled in an alien dance toward the end of the hallway. "Follow the lights?" Hiccup suggested.

Sure enough, after several twist and turns, the lights lead us back out into the main workshop. The other guardians were gathered around the base of the huge globe.

They all looked like someone had slipped triple shots of caffeine into their cocoa. Especially North. He looked as though he'd gotten into a wrestling match with his pillow, and lost.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack yelled at them. "And can we turn down the alarm." They didn't even react. He poked North with the tip of his staff. I guessed he never put the thing down.

North turned and said something, but it was all lost in the alarm. Looking exasperated he clapped his hands together twice. The noise echoed louder than the alarm but it didn't hurt my ears near as much. The alarm promptly shut off.

Though my ears were still ringing, I definitely heard North when he said "We have a problem."

"What's wrong?" I asked once the ringing had finally stopped.

"Pitch is at it again." Bunnymund said his voice slightly groggy from sleep.

"Doesn't the guy ever sleep?" Hiccup asked. The question was obviously rhetorical but North looked him straight in the eyes "No."

"Why not?"

"The king of Nightmares is not one for sleeping." Toothiana said flatly. Which was a first. If this was serious enough for Tooth to lose her bubbly spark, we were doomed.

I asked the question that was on everybody's mind, but no-one seemed eager to know the awnser to. "When do we leave…and can I put on clothes first."

"As soon as I prepare the sleigh." North replied. Bunny groaned like he might lose his midnight snack.

"Great. Come on Merida."

Together we dashed through the halls. Being somewhat of an artist, I have a pretty good memory. You need it if you want to paint the few fleeting glimpses of the outside world you can get from inside a tower. I managed to remember the route back to our room. We dashed inside and ran to our respective dressers, then dashed behind two separate free standing screens to change.

I emerged in a simple blue long-sleeved shirt under a leather vest. Sturdy leggings like we wore in training and knee-high combat boots. Merida was right behind me, dressed almost identically. The only variation was that her shirt was green. It wasn't like we had a choice. The dresser just kind of barfed up these clothes and clamped shut again.

The boys had both changed as well. Apparently our dressers were all connected because the boys had on the same outfits as us. The only difference being that Hiccups shirt was orangey-red and Jacks was simply white. As well as our different one handed gloves.

Before any of us could comment on our matching attire, Sandy poked his head through a large door off to the right. He motioned us forward. Jack fell into step beside me and mumbled so only I could hear, "You look nice Blondie." His breath was cool against my ear but I still felt my cheeks get hot. I managed to get it under control by the time we reached the door.

Stepping inside, my jaw dropped a little. Hiccup flat out gasped when he walked through the door. Inside was a beautiful mahogany sleigh. It was simple in design, but decked out inside with GPS and all sorts of stuff like that. But the sleigh fell in comparison to the creatures pulling it. North was harnessing in the last reindeer to the front of the pack when he noticed us. "Everybody loves the sleigh." He chuckled. "Climb in."

We all did as he instructed. The seats were surprisingly comfortable and they smelled faintly of peppermint. Jack slid in next to me. The seats were not meant to hold eight so he and I were hip to hip. I suspected Jack was pretending there was even less space, but I had no complaints.

I heard an audible wheezing sound and looked over the edge of the sleigh. Bunny was staring up at the sled and hyper-ventilating. "Come on Bunnymund. Time to go." North called

"Nah mate. I'm good with my tunnels."

"Oh." Jack cooed mockingly. "Is the wittle bunny wabbit scared?" Even I had to suppress a giggle.

At that, Bunny stiffened. "Shut it, ya bloody show pony." He slowly and gingerly climbed in to sit in front of me.

Once everyone was in, Merida asked "Where exactly are we going?"

North called back "The island of Berk." Hiccups eyes widened slightly. "Never been there before."

"Probably a good thing." Hiccup replied.

"How do ya know?"

"I live there."

And with that North cracked the reigns, causing the reindeer to take of at dizzying speeds through a series of twisting ice tunnels. It almost felt like my face was going to fall off. I gripped Jacks hand, trying to act like I was scared, which wasn't hard. He gripped my hand back.

When we shot out of the tunnel, both Merida and I screamed. We were almost one hundred feet in the air. I thought we would start plummeting, and squeezed my eyes shut. After a moment, the initial fear wore off enough for me to notice we weren't plummeting to our deaths. A gentle breeze whipped through my hair. Opening my eyes, I noticed that we were flying.

The ground zipped by far below us, and the clouds were almost within the reach of my fingertips. I started to laugh a little. "Wow." I whispered.

I was yanked back into reality, when a sound like a small explosion in a bell factory filled my ears. Whipping the hair out of my face, I saw a hole in the sky. A swirling vortex that looked like the inside of a bubble was about ten feet in front of us.

"Hold on to something!" North shouted. I grabbed the edge of my seat so tight I felt my knuckles turn whiter than Jacks hair. The wind tore my eyelids open, and stole the breath out of my lungs. We plunged into the portal and emerged with a slight *Pop*

We slowed down enough that I could breathe again. Cool crisp air filled my lungs. It was tinted with a salty aroma. Mothers' robes smelled that way when she had returned from the beach when I was little. She had brought me these beautiful white shells, and used them to make paint for me. I knew it was the smell of the ocean. It was exactly as I imagined it would be.

The night sky above my head was black as ink, and dotted with thousands of luminescent pinpricks. I'd always loved the stars. Then a silhouette soared across the stars, rippling their image. I thought it was just a hallucination from lack of sleep, and shrugged it off.

"We should land. It's not safe for us here." Hiccup said wearily watching the sky.

"Why not?" Toothiana asked.

"We have a pest problem here." He muttered back

"What kind of pest?" Merida looked up into the sky with Hiccup, trying to see what he was so worried about. "I think we can take on some rats."

"Trust me. I wouldn't be worried if it were just a couple rodents. No, we have dragons."

The last word hung in the air around us. It settled in underneath my skin and stayed there. All of us began keeping a vigil on the sky. I realized that what I had seen earlier was no hallucination. It sent an icy shiver up my spine.

Jack looked rather on edge as North lowered us down into the woods. When I asked him what was wrong, his answer actually made quite a bit of sense. "Dragons breathe fire. Snow and fire don't get along very well."

I did my best to comfort him. "You'll be fine." I know it was lame, and I was supposed to be the Guardian of Creativity. The silence was so awkward you could taste it. Then I remembered something. "No dying allowed. You still have a promise to keep."

"Oh yeah? What?" He smiled cockily and blinded me with those snowy white teeth.

"You promised to show me the world remember? I intend to make you keep that promise when this is all over and we send Pitch running back to his Boogey-mama." That got him to chuckle a little. I hoped I was distracting him from worrying about being melted.

"Deal."

As the word left his lips, North swerved to the right before landing roughly on the forest floor. I lost my hold on the seat, and was tossed to the side; straight into Jacks lap. "Hey Blondie."

"Gods you two." Hiccup joked. "Get a room."

Both of us blushed; me bright bright red, while Jacks cheeks got whiter. A thin veil of frost crept of his cheekbones. We scrambled apart and hopped out of the sleigh. Jack jumped out first, then turned to help me down. I never gave him the chance. I had hopped of the sleigh and was airborne by the time he turned.

"Alright Hiccup." Merida said. "Lead the way."

His eyes filled with dread, but he trudged off through the ferns in what I assumed to be south and we all followed suit.


	9. Wecome home, hooray!(not)

Chapter 9 Hiccups POV

Most people would be excited about returning home. Most peoples would get a big 'Welcome back.' Not me.

You see, I'm not exactly what my father wanted me to be. He wanted a strong Viking for a son; A son who could lift mountains or level forests. Instead, my father got me and he'd made it very clear that he wasn't very happy about it.

Some people might argue with me that he must have at least noticed my absence over the last two days. Some people would be wrong. My father is the leader of Berk and is determined to rid the island of dragons. He left on a mission to find the nest about three days before I left. So there goes that theory. No-one in the village would notice my absence either. Since they look at me the same way my father does I spend most of my time alone. I only go into town to apprentice for Gobber (The village blacksmith.) He probably just thought I got carried off to be used as a toothpick.

Trudging back toward my home, you could say I was a little less than excited.

The forest was dense around us. The ferns alone reached up to my knees. It was dark, but the stars provided enough light to navigate by. I heard someone's light footsteps quicken and Merida appeared next to me. She had a nervous look in her eyes. "You alright?" I asked gently.

"I'm fine. Just never faced a dragon before." she sounded genuinely scared.

"It'll be fine." I should have just stopped there but the words kept spilling out of my mouth. "I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."

She blushed slightly. she was quiet for a moment before asking "What about you?"

"Me. I'm fine."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm just not looking forward to going back to Berk."

She nodded, but didn't press me for information. That was the best thing she could have done. I took one of my small knives from my belt and handed it to her. "Here. Just in case." When she took it, she met my eyes. The moonlight illuminated her hair so it looked like a hallo. Her eyes sparkled in the dark, standing out like lighthouses in the fog. Not to mention, her new outfit fit her body quite well and- I chided myself for being so shallow.

"Thank ya Hiccup."

I nodded in reply. We walked the rest of the way in silence.

I knew we had arrived in Berk before I saw it. Drunken voices rang out through the hills as several of the men stumbled out of the only pub in town, The Inkwell Inn. Most of the men remained sober though, in fear of an attack. They were rightly afraid. a fog tightly clung to the coast creating a barrier to prevent anyone escaping.

We all gathered on the hillside surrounding my village. the air was soft but heavy on my shoulders at the same time. the moisture in it made my hair stick to my scalp.

I scanned the air and ground until I saw him. Pitch was looming over a small boy and girl in the town square. No-one else was around to help them. Besides they wouldn't. The children would simply be told to suck it up because fear is un-Vikingly. Of course, the adults wouldn't be able to see Pitch either. "There." I yelled pointing to Pitch and charging. The others followed closely behind me.

As I got closer to the scene, I began to recognize the children. They were the son and daughter of Gashmeal, one of my father's friends. Both children had their mothers hazelnut hair and their fathers eyes. The boy definitely got his dads big nose while the girl had her mother's soft cheekbones. "Hansel, Gretel!" I yelled. "Get away from them Pitch." The Nightmare King whipped around just in time to get a face full of fist. He went down, but I didn't have long.

Gretel had collapsed to the ground, her body shaking with heavy sobs. Hansel crouched beside his little sister and held her tightly. " Hiccup!" He exclaimed when he realized who I was. "Come with me you two. " I said as I scooped up Gretel, and took Hansel's hand. We dashed off. I took them to the pub and the bar maid ran out. She took both children into her arms. "Take care of them." She nodded and lead them to one of the rooms upstairs.

I bolted back to the square to help my friends but it seemed like they had it under control. Black blood dripped from Pitches jaw where I nailed him. The fight was going rather well. Jack kicked him straight in the chest and he toppled back. He glared back at us. "Let's have a little fun, shall we" with that he disappeared.

I charged forward "Come back here you son of a half-troll, rat eating-"

"Hiccup!" North yelled. "There are ladies present."

"It's fine." Rapunzel and Merida said in unison, both rather sarcasticlly. Toothiana didn't seem to agree. She looked slightly scandalized at my language.

That's when I heard it. The ear-splitting roar that mean we were in for a night. "Here they come." I said to my friends. "The village can take care of itself , but we need to focus on Pitch. I have a feeling that wasn't his grand exit."

They all nodded with determined expressions.

The dragons attacked in a wave, and all my friends were engaged instantly. Fires blazed from both sides. Battle cries rang out through the village. Maybe if I killed a dragon tonight, I would get a little respect. I was about to charge into battle to join my friends when an inky black tendril wrapped around my waist and pulled my upward. It put my down rather roughly to stand on top of a roof.

Pitch stood on a miniature storm cloud and smirked at me. "No, no, no." he waggled his finger at me like I was some bad dog. " I have a special treat for you Mr. Haddock." He snapped his fingers causing the house to shake and I tumbled down the slanted roof and fell hard on my butt.

Coming out of the daze, I heard a high-pitched sound. "Nightfury!" someone yelled. I ducked. You see, a Nightfury is a reclusive dragon. This thing never steals food, never shows itself and never misses. A plasma bolt lit the night sky and one of our watchtowers blew up. When I uncovered my head, one of my inventions was sitting next to me. A grappling hook launcher. Pitches voice echoed in my head "Go ahead my boy. Earn your pride. I can't wait to watch you fail." Anger boiled in my chest. I seized the launcher and had it set to shoot within five seconds.

The sound echoed again and I saw it. A sleek black body tearing through the night. It fired again and the light provided enough of a silouhette for me to shoot at. I released the trigger and the sheer power of my machine launched me back. As I pushed myself to my feet, I heard a wail and saw the black body go down just over at Ravens Point. I would go looking for it after I found my friends.

I dashed back to the village, but all the dragons were gone. Jack was zipping around, extinguishing fires with North and the other Guardians. Merida and Rapunzel were surrounded by a group of small children. Hansel and Gretel were among them. The girls seemed to be reassuring the kids that everything was alright. Miraculously, nobody was hurt more than a couple scratches or bruising. I went to help extinguish my village.

"Hiccup your hurt." Rapunzel exclaimed. "it's fine really." She gently took my face in her hands and examined my cheek. I'm guessing the launcher nicked me when it shot the Nightfury down. "This is not fine. How does this not hurt?"

"Adrenaline. Natures pain-killer."

"No kidding." She handed me a clump of her hair. "Hold that to your face." As I did, I realized there was a deep scar going from my lip to just beneath my temple. Blood trickled down my face. It took everything I had not to vomit on Rapunzel.

"Um…do you use antiseptic shampoo or something?"

"Just promise me you won't…freak out."

She was scaring me more and more the longer we talked. "Ok."

Rapunzel closed her eyes and started to sing. I caught the first line "Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine." But after that, I was too occupied at her hair. It was golden blonde all the time, but now it was glowing gold. It was as though each strand was a tiny river of gold flowing from her scalp. As the glow traveled down her hair, I became very aware that it was almost to the part against my face.

My face felt warm when the glow reached it, almost like I was basking in the sun.

When she finished singing, the glow drained out of her hair and it returned to it's regular blonde. I put her hair down, afraid I'd gotten my blood on it, but it was perfectly clean. Then I remembered my face. I brushed the tips of my fingers along my cheek. It was smooth and blood free as ever. My eyes widened but I remembered my promise not to freak out, so settled with staring at her. My voice came out very high-pitched and squeaky "Thanks, Rapunzel."

"Your welcome. Now go find that dragon. I'll tell the others. And before you ask, you kind of said so while I was healing your face."

I felt my cheeks get warm. What else did I say? She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was totally sisterly, but it still warmed my straight to my toes. "Go."


	10. i make a friend sort of

Chapter 10 Hiccups POV

I had been out in the forest since Rapunzel healed me. I estimated that to be about 10 p.m. Now the sun was peeking over the trees. I'd been searching all night with no luck what so ever. "Thank you." I yelled sarcastically to the gods. I think they hate me. Some people lose a knife or a mug…no, not me, I manage to lose an entire dragon!

Out of sheer frustration I picked up a rock and hurled it. The rock had other ideas. It came sailing back and attacked my gut. It could have been much worse, but that doesn't mean it felt good. I toppled back into a bush. My shirt sleeve snagged on one of the twigs. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it lose. "Ahh, screw it!" I muttered ripping the sleeve. I started back down the trail.

Not learning from my prior experience with the rock, I took my frustration out on an innocent branch. Unfortunately for me, the stick fought back, smacking me square in the eye. Clutching my eye, I said a few choice words, Toothiana would wash my mouth out with soap for. She'd probably make me floss too.

Looking up vengefully at the tree, I saw that it looked as though a giant had swung his axe through it. The tree was split down the middle rather jaggedly. I followed the cut with my eyes. A huge trench was torn out of the dirt like something crash landed there. Something did crash land there. My dragon! I followed the carnage.

The trail of wreckage led me to a small valley. It was no larger than a high school football stadium. It was majorly occupied by a sparkling turquoise lake. Sunlight poured into the water, and danced through the leaves.

I stood there for several moments, just taking it in, when a huge black shape darted up into my vision. I screamed a little and fell back onto my ass. It was the Nightfury. It was desperately trying to scale the wall. Unfortunately, there is a reason dragons don't do rock climbing. The Nightfury fell back down and clumsily glided to the other side of the lake.

The dragons rock climbing attempt scarred my so much, I fell off the ridge I was perched on. 'Well.' I thought as I plummeted. 'There goes my cover.' I fell into the lake with a *splash*. The cool water surrounded me. My lungs screamed desperately for air so I kicked upward until my head broke the surface. Starring at me from the shore, were a pair of curious and slightly cynical eyes.

We stayed like that for a long time. Then he suddenly flew off to the other side of the cove. I swam to the edge and climbed out. My clothes were soaking wet. Though I'm sure they weren't nearly as heavy as my fur best would have been. I took off the orange shirt and leather vest and hung them up to dry, but I refused to take off the glove. It just felt too good to take off.

Turning around, I jumped out of my skin. The Nightfury had snuck up behind me. It slunk toward me and growled. I realized I still had one knife in my belt. I gingerly removed it, and tossed it into the water. Maybe not my best decision, but I need him to trust me. The knife landed with a subtle plunk and the dragons eyes softened dramatically. The dragon looked almost like a kitten when he wasn't growling.

I laughed a little. "Hey buddy." He cocked his head to the side and stared at me. He even swished his tail…. Or half a tail. I stepped toward him but he didn't like that idea and ran to the other side of the lake. He stared hungrily at the water, or more the fish in the water. Yes I decided the dragon was a he. I wasn't sure if I was right, but it was better than calling the creature _it._

That's when it hit me. He couldn't lean in to catch the fish without falling in, because he was missing part of his tail. Then something hit me harder. It was _my_ fault. I did this. Pitch just made me so mad, I had to prove to him I wasn't weak.

Any of the other Vikings would have celebrated if they had brought down a dragon. instead, I felt a terrible wait in my chest. I had to make it up to him. An idea hit me. I could build him a new one. I mean, I'd been Gobbers apprentice since I was about ten years old. Seven years of experience ought to give me at least a chance.

"Don't worry buddy." I said, not even sure he understood. "I'm gonna fix this." He perked up and looked at me. His expression looked like he was saying _I sure hope so human._

"Actually." I said. "The name's Hiccup." He made a gurgling sound in his throat that sounded like laughter. I stuck my tongue out at him. "I know I know." At that, the dragon returned his gaze to the fish.

I felt so bad for the dragon, helpless for the time being in terms of feeding itself. I was so furious with Pitch. This was his plan all along. Cause me to hurt this creature, then watch me suffer the guilt. I thrust me hand into the air in frustration. What happened as a result was crazy. A fish flew out of the lake and landed in my out stretched arms. I just stared at it. There was no way it could have jumped that far. Something else made that happen. I realized the burn marks on my glove were glowing. No way. I was so frustrated, and I was thinking about how the dragon was going without fish and…

The dragon crept toward me, and I extended the fish to him. As he got closer, I got a good look at his mouth. "Huh, toothless. I could have sworn you had-" But my sentence was interrupted when the dragons extended his set of razor sharp teeth, took the fish, and devoured it. "-teeth." I finished.

"I'll be back buddy. I promise." Toothless(That's what I named him) looked content with my promise and lumbered off to find a place to sleep, I assumed. I took off to return to the village. I needed to start a tail as soon as possible.

**hey guys! I hope you like it so far. I thought this scene in the movie was so cute. I encorperated parts directly from the movie and tried to do them justice. this is the only time i'll do that, I swear. please please please review. I can't get better if you don't. thank you.**


	11. i have a brave moment

Authors note; prepare for some Merricup cuteness!

Chapter 11 Merida's POV

Hiccup had been gone since the battle last night. Rapunzel told us where he'd gone, and I hadn't slept a wink. I was way too worried. What if that dragon barbequed him? At about one a.m., I went for a walk to calm my nerves and give myself something to do, all the pacing was driving me mad. It was on that walk, staring at the moon, that I realized why I was so much more worried than anybody else. I loved him. I was in love with Hiccup.

But I couldn't be. No matter how unhappy I was about it, I had to marry into royal blood for my kingdoms sake. Though every fiber in my being writhed against my bethrothal, I needed to think of my people. They need a king. As far as I knew, Hiccup was just a Viking villager. Fates damn these stupid politics.

Then, Hiccup came running into the village at top speed and nearly collided with me. He ran straight into town, into one of the un-burned buildings. Weapons hung on the walls and metal working tools coated a work bench. "Hiccup." I shouted. "Hey Mer." He replied rather distractedly.

"What happened out there?"

He met my eyes, and they were full of a fresh hopeful craze. His chestnut mop of hair was slightly damp and plastered to his skull. "Everything we know about them is wrong." He started running around the workshop, gathering tools and heating the forge.

"Everything you know about who?"

"The dragons." He danced around the forge and gathered everything he needed with ease. I could tell he was in his element. "I found the dragon and- oh Merida it's all my fault. I cut off his tail last night with my machine. So I'm building him a new one." all the words spilled out of his mouth faster thatn I could comprehend.

I did my best to keep the sarcasm out of my voice when I asked, "You're building it a new tail?"

"Well, only half of a tail, and he's not an it. Toothless is a boy."

"You named it, sorry, _him _Toothless? Do you want the other dragons to beat him up?" I joked.

"Well, I thought he didn't have any teeth, and it's not as bad as Hiccup." He reminded me.

I would have argued with him, telling him his name isn't that bad, (I know a few worse ones, like Dingwall) but North yelled "Time to go!" I wanted to ignore him and stay here with Hiccup more than anything in the world.

"Come on Merida, Hiccup. Let's go." He said, this time standing in the doorway.

"North, I can't leave Toothless, he needs me. Once he's better, maybe I can fly him back to the workshop."

North stepped forward and placed a huge hand on his shoulder. An understanding passed between them. "Alright my boy. Be safe." He took a snow globe out of his pocket and handed it to Hiccup. "It's a portal. Throw it in the air when you're ready to come back. I'll see you soon my boy." And with that he left; simple as that.

I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around Hiccup. I didn't want to leave him. Not now and not ever. But I knew North and the others would need me to figure out what Pitch was planning. Besides, I was going to say good-bye to my family tomorrow.

At first he was shocked, but when he realized what was happening, Hiccup wrapped his arms around me. They were muscular in a subtle way. You wouldn't be able to tell just looking at him, but I felt them through his shirt. "I'll see you soon." I mumbled into his shoulder.

"I'll see you soon." he whispered back, stroking my wild hair.

When we pulled apart I looked into those deep green eyes and my instincts took over. I grabbed the hem of his vest and brought my lips to his. He tasted like the apple cider my mum used to make when autumn came. It was quick, much quicker than I would have liked, but it would have to suffice. When I pulled away he looked stunned, an idiotic grin spreading slowly across his face.

North called again and I ran to the sleigh. Everyone was seated and pretending to minding their own business. I knew they had been watching us like hawks. I climbed in next to Rapunzel and she hummed a little tune softly to herself, observing the clouds. "Oh, hey." She said, pretending to just realize I got in. When I looked back, Hiccup hadn't moved an inch. I laughed a little and waved to him. He raised his hand in salute.

The reindeer took off and when I looked back one last time, I saw Hiccup fall onto the floor. I winced a little and did my best to suppress the giggles. I still had the taste of him on my lips and savored it as long as I could. No-one said a word the entire flight back. With the help of a portal, the awkward silence only lasted about ten minutes. But I didn't mind. I felt on top of the world. Being the Guardian of Courage had it's advantages.


	12. things go well, then terriblly wrong

Chapter 12 Jacks POV

After we all returned from Berk, I had gone to my room to change out of my sweat soaked clothes. The first thing I lost was the stupid shoes. I don't know why, so don't ask, but I've never taken to the stupid foot prisons. Not since I woke up in that lake. Then I put on my old clothes. You have no idea how good it felt to slip back into my sweater.

I sighed slightly and it echoed around the empty room. It was extremely quiet since I didn't have Hiccup to talk to. He decided to stay behind in Berk to heal a dragon or something. Further proof that I wasn't the only crazy one there.

Without him around, I simply sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the empty air. I managed to entertain myself for a while, but the silence was torture. My ear drums felt as though they were about to collapse in on themselves. So I got up and walked out the door.

The hallway wasn't much better. I debated knocking on Rapunzel's door, but decided against it. I figured she would be gossiping with Merida about that kiss as girls do. Considering that girl talk isn't really my thing, I contented to aimlessly walking the halls.

The entirety of the halls were made of a beautiful dark woo that reminded me of my hair before I became a guardian. Memories of pranks and laughs with my little sister flashed before my eyes and a small smile tugged at my lips.

I felt as though I was treading through the center of a tree trunk. My feet were embraced by the soft carpet. The plush fibers tickled my toes as I walked.

I had been a guardian for almost a year, but I still got lost all the time in the workshop. That day was no exception. Though it probably would have helped if I had a destination in mind. I simply wandered through the halls and got more and more hopelessly lost. Poems kept popping into my mind. They started out simple haikus about snow and ice, but became sappier the further I walked. They all began to talk about love and blonde hair.

"_Snap out of it_." I thought to myself.

In my daze, I had walked into the training room. It was cool and quiet and the whole place smelled like sweat and gingerbread. Odd combination, I know. Targets covered the walls in mismatched patterns. Weapons still lined the east wall, though they were now sorted by their apparent deadliness. The first time I was in there, I was a little busy surviving to look around. Standing in the doorway, I realized just how perfect the room was. Plenty of room to practice in but not big enough that my movements echoed. Exactly what I needed for some midnight training.

I flicked on the lights, and centered myself in the room. I tried to remember what North had taught me after we defeated Pitch the first time. Closing my eyes, his deep voice resonated in my mind.

"_Elbows in, knees bent, look at your target, then feel something and channel it through your staff."_

When I opened my eyes, Pitch's sickly pale face stared back at me from one of the targets. He smirked, flashing me his yellowing teeth. Channeling all my anger toward him, I let loose a deep yell that nearly reminded me of a growl. Launching into action, I shot ice at 220 mph straight through his hooked nose.

Target Pitch simply dissolved and reappeared on a fresh bulls-eye. I froze his ugly teeth in place.

He would appear and I would strike him. This process went on for so long, that when the last target was entirely frozen, my body was soaked from head to toe in ice cold sweat. I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and draped it across a rack of swords to dry, and rested my staff on it as well.

In an attempt to slow my heart beat, I slowly walked around the room.

My pale hair clung to my scalp with near vicious ferocity. No matter how many times I combed my fingers through it, my locks just flopped back down. Mid-comb I heard footsteps behind me. Whirling around, I came face-to-face with a gigantic target. Pitch's bony face filled the entirety of it.

Then he stepped back and pulled a two-dimensional Rapunzel into my view by her wrist. She struggled against him, but the Nightmare King's grip was like concrete. Though she pulled away with all her might, he still brought his thin lips to hers. Anger boiled in my stomach, and a wave of ice exploded from me, freezing the target in a block of ice 2-feet thick.

Breathing heavily, I clutched my knees to stop the world from spinning like a top. That's when I realized two things:

My staff was still leaning against the sword rack

The silvery fabric of my glove was glowing with the radiance of a full moon.

"No way." I muttered in amazement.

Just to experiment, I lifted my hand. The tips of my fingers began to buzz and a small snowflake formed in the palm of my hand. It gently tickled my nose before floating up into the rafters.

I stood staring at the ceiling dumbfounded for what very well could have been an eternity. Cobwebs could have formed between my fingers and I wouldn't have noticed. As quickly as it had come, the buzzing drained out of me. Blinking the moment away and relaxing my tensed shoulders, I nearly fainted. By some miracle I stayed conscious and on my feet.

The elves seem to love helping me, so I left my sweatshirt hanging on the rack 'accidentally' but I grabbed my staff. It's not that I was worried about them freezing the entire workshop (The staff only works for me) but it was more a fear that they would break it. Call me crazy but I'm rather attached to my staff. It's the only constant thing in my life, as well as my only tie to my little sister. It's what I used to save her, and I was more than happy to take her place on that cracking ice.

The halls had grown significantly darker. I was in there longer than I thought. Moonlight streamed in through the various windows and calmed me down. It was good to see my old friend again.

I felt rather proud of myself when I only had to double back twice before finding the Great room. Usually, it takes me more like fifteen times.

Hanging in a sling made from her own hair was Rapunzel, paintbrush in hand. The design she was painting was simple yet beautiful, just like her. It wrapped around the entire room.

"Hey Blondie." I called up to her. "What 'cha doing?"

She jumped a little when I first spoke, but smiled brightly when she saw it was me. "Jack!" she exclaimed and began lowering herself down before walking over to me. I suddenly became very aware that I left my sweatshirt in the training room and was bare-chested. Rapunzel noticed too, but she hid it well.

"I just finished. What do you think?" Her tone was hesitant with a hint of pride as she presented her work to me.

"I love it Punz."

She smiled tiredly and her eyelids hung low on her pupils. Despite her obvious exhaustion, she turned her back to me in order to examine her work.

Tentatively, I placed my hand on her hip and felt how smooth her skin was under the fabric of her shirt. Her muscles relaxed and she leaned into my chest. She smelled like vanilla and lavender and soap.

"Let's get you to bed Blondie." I said gently.

She mumbled something that sounded somewhat similar to 'ok' and let me steer her down the hall to her bedroom door.

"Night Punz. I'll see you in the morning." I whispered into her ear.

"Good night." She whispered back.

Halfway across the threshold of her door, she turned and kissed my cheek. She was inside her room with the door closed before I could even react. I still felt the warmth of her lips on my chilled skin, and I savored it.

Smiling to myself, I crawled into bed. The sheets were soft and smelled vaguely like holly. My eyes slid closed before my head even hit the pillow.

In my dream, it was dark. Everything was dark. I couldn't see the ceiling or the walls. I could feel the floor with my feet, but it was shrouded in a ghostly iridescent mist. The way it swirled around my ankles when I moved, I could swear I saw faces in it. They were silently screaming. The agony was apparent in their sunken eyes and pale lips. It made my skin crawl.

"Hello my boy." The voice made my entire body shudder violently. It was cold and high, like nails on a chalkboard. It was a woman's voice.

Turning to face the speaker, all I saw was black. Black ahead of me and black behind me. The voice came from nowhere.

"I hoped you said good-bye to my flower." It said maliciously "Because you'll never see her again."

A million questions raced through my mind so rapidly, I might have exploded. "Who is she?" was the most important.

"Oh, my sweet little snowdrop, she's the one you have grown so _fond_ of." I couldn't see the woman but I could tell she was smirking.

"Rapunzel? What do you want with her?"

"She's very special. Special in a way you will never comprehend. She's special in a way only a mother could appreciate."

Before I could move or say a word, the mist evaporated and I fell through the floor.

I woke up with a start, my forehead soaked in sweat. My breathing came in sharp stabs and each one pained me to the point of screaming. I tore out of bed and into the hall.

Rapunzel's door was open, so I dashed inside. It was completely empty. Both beds were made and everything was in order. It scared me. I desperately called her name, but there was no reply.

Toothiana poked her head inside the door and her eyes were filled with concern. "Jack?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"R-Rapunzel. Where's Rapunzel?" was all I could muster. I felt light headed from breathing so hard.

She put her hand on my shoulder comfortingly. Tooth had always been like an older sister to me. Always there when I needed her. "Rapunzel and Merida went to say good-bye to their families."

I began to relax for a moment. Rapunzel was safe, and with her family. Then I remembered something from my dream. _She's special in a way only a mother could appreciate. _Mother.Rapunzel's mother was the voice in my dream. That meant Rapunzel was walking straight into a trap.

When I told Tooth, her big purple eyes, got much bigger and she clamped her little hands to her mouth. "North" she muttered through her fingers. I nodded and bolted out the door.

**Hey guys. Hope you like it so far. If you have any suggestions please review and tell me. As I said before, I want to be an author and I can't get better if you don't tell me how you think I can. Be as harsh as you want. I won't get my feelings hurt. I promise!**


	13. i go home?

Chapter 13 Rapunzel's POV

It felt so strange to walk back into the valley I had been so desperate to escape from for eighteen years. The sky was cloudy and gray, like a storm was coming. The grass had wilted to an ugly brown, and the river had dried into only a trickle. Everything seemed sad.

No matter how gloomy the scenery, I remained happy. I was going to see my mother again. She wasn't the best mother in the world, but I understood. It was hard to be a single mother, and then add protecting me and my hair on top of the regular responsibilities of having a child; that must have been hard. But she raised me and I turned out alright. I loved her.

Walking up to the base of the tower, my stomach filled with butterflies. I brushed my hand along the cold bricks. They were rough and grainy underneath my fingers.

I took the staircase Mother used to get into the tower when I was younger, before my hair grew long enough to hoist her up from the ground. It winded around the base of the circular tower and I had to watch my step. There wasn't a single window along the staircase to allow light so I could see where I was going.

Upon reaching the top, I cautiously stuck my head in. "Mother." I called out tentatively. No reply. I tried again, a little louder. "Mother are you here? It's me, Rapunzel." I stepped into the room.

Then she appeared at her bedroom door. Her hair had gray streaks mingled in with the black. Dark circles were under her red eyes, but she completely changed when she saw me. She ran to me and wrapped me into her arms. "Oh my flower. Are you all right?" she fussed.

"I'm fine mother, really." I replied gently.

"Where have you been? I was so worried!"

Guilt flooded my stomach. "I'm so sorry Mother, but I've been on this amazing journey and I've seen and learned so much."

"I don't care Rapunzel. What about me! You left me you selfish little brat!"

"Mother I-"I fell to the floor and my face stung and when I brought my hand to the site, it came back sticky with blood. She had slapped me, hard.

"That was for your own good Rapunzel. Now, would you sing for me dear?"

I slowly rose to my feet. "Of course mother."

Once she was situated with the hairbrush in hand, I began to sing. I felt the warmth spread across my scalp and fill my entire body. When I had finished, her hair was jet black again and all the wrinkles were gone from her face. "Much better darling. I love you so much."

"You're welcome. I love you more."

"I love you most." She rose and walked into the kitchen

"I'm so glad your back. I'll make your favorite. Hazelnut soup!" She exclaimed in an effort to apologize for the slap. In truth, I hated Hazelnut soup. It was far too watery and tasted like dishsoap, but I pretended to like it for her sake.

"Actually mother, I can't stay."

She rounded on me with a vicious look in her eyes. "What do you mean you can't stay?"

"Well, it's complicated, but these people need my help."

She scoffed. "You? They want you? What do you possibly have to offer?"

"Well I-"

She cut me off. Her face contorted into a sneer. "No, no. you will be staying here with me." Pulling a smile on and pulling herself up into perfect posture she said, "Now, go wash up for dinner, we have a guest." She promptly shoved me into the bathroom with strength I didn't know she had, and slammed the door in my face.

Looking in the mirror, one of my cheeks was bright red and a small trickle of blood ran down my cheek. The icy water stung the cut but washed the blood away all the same. Scrubbing it from under my nails, I thought I heard my mother talking to someone. Our guest, I assumed. Then I heard my mothers' scream.

When I wrenched opened the door to check on her, I felt my heart physically stop in my chest. Standing next to my mother was Pitch. His long skeletal hands were wrapped around her throat. She gagged and wheezed under the pressure.

"Why hello Rapunzel." He looked at me with mock endearment. "Your mother and I were just chatting."

"Let her go." I demanded. I tried my best to be confident but my voice wavered and cracked pathetically.

"Not so fast dear." He scolded. I wanted to punch him in his crooked nose. "Your mother told me you have a special gift."

"What about it?"

"Well, you see, I could use a gift like that."

"And I could use a pedicure. It looks like neither of us are getting what we want."

He pouted his lip and looked hurt. "Well, you see, that is my deal. Let me use your hair and I'll let her go." He nodded toward my mother.

"Rapunzel," she coughed "Please. Help me."

All the fire inside me drained away, and my shoulders slumped. "Fine." I said.

Pitch smiled like a psychopath and with a flick of his wrist I was bound in black sandy chains. Despite their brittle apparel, they bound me tightly no matter how hard I struggled. "Now let her go!" I screamed at Pitch.

"Gladly." And with that, he released my mother. She didn't attempt to run or come to my aid. She merely straightened and stood beside our captor.

"For heaven's sake Pitch, it was only an act. You didn't have to grip so hard." She said gently rubbing her neck.

"Yes, but it was an act that clearly worked." He replied in a silky tone that made me want to gag.

"Mother? What are you doing?" I tried to yell, but my voice was growing hoarse.

She laughed a snobbish laugh. "Mother knows best dear." She scorned before turning from me and placing a manicured hand on Pitch's chest. "Can we go now? I don't want to be here anymore." She pouted.

"No my dear. We can't leave yet. We have to wait for him."

"Oh, yes. That silly Jackson Frost boy." She sighed overdramatically. "If we must."

Anger seethed in my chest. Not only did this woman; the woman who I had strived to please for years, betray me, but now she was talking about hurting Jack. "Don't you touch him you-"

Before I could let out a stream of assorted curses, Pitch clicked his fingers and a gag materialized over my mouth, muffling the profanities. The fabric was rough and coarse on my skin. He walked over to me and caressed my cheek. "Don't worry _flower," _he spat. "It won't be long till your Prince Charming comes to your rescue."

If my mouth hadn't been covered, he would have lost that hand. I made an attempt to tackle him, but he saw it coming and magically tightened my chains to the point where I was kneeling on the floor. I contented to giving him the death stare. "It won't be long at all." He cooed.

As if on cue, the shutters burst open and Jack flew in. For a moment he just processed everything. His eyes narrowed when they landed on Pitch.

"Hello Jackie boy."

"Now really isn't the time for pleasantries. Don't you think Pitch?" Jack retorted with intense fire.

"On the contrary my boy. You must meet my new mistress. Amelia Gothel." My mother sauntered over and practically laid on Pitch in a very seductive manner. She waved to Jack. "Hello snowdrop."

The tips of Jacks elf-like ears turned a deep shade of red and frost began creeping up the walls. "You."

"Yes, me."

Pitch, maintaining his mock politeness walked over to me and lifted my chin. I did my best to pull away, but he had the advantage. "I believe you are already acquainted with Rapunzel here."

Jack noticed me for the first time. "Punz!" Several emotions flicked across his face. Ranging from relief to pure hatred. "Let her go you scum bag!" he shouted.

Pitch considered his offer for a moment. "Um…No." He replied with a smirk.

At that, Jack launched himself at us, but Pitch flicked his wrist and we disappeared in a puff of dusky smoke. The last thing I saw was Jacks outstretched hand.

**thank you to my wonderfull reviewers. I really appreciate the feedback. since I'm only in 10th grade, I don't have many opportunities for growth, so you have no idea how happy it made me. thank you so much!**

**i'll post the next chapter soon.**


	14. this is not happening

Chapter 14 Jacks POV

I desperately dove for Rapunzel in a vicious fury to save her, but she disappeared in a swirl of disgustingly gray smoke and black sand. I sailed through the spot she had been a second earlier, and landed on my face.

The weight of it all came crashing down on me with so much strength and violence; I felt my body sinking into the floor. She was really gone. I could have saved her if I had been even a second faster. My mind simply shut down. I wanted to curl up in a dark hole and stay there forever. I wanted to scream until my voice left, but more than anything I wanted to cry. Perhaps if I did, I could drown myself in my own tears.

Unfortunately, my wish could not be granted, I wasn't alone in that tower. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to maintain composure as I turned to face the others, but it didn't work. I hated crying in front of anyone. I didn't want them to worry about me. Freezing teardrops soaked my cheeks anyway.

"Don't worry Jack." North said, discreetly handing me a handkerchief and shielding me from view as I wiped my eyes.

Toothiana flitted forward and wrapped me into her soft arms. She was warm and smelled like vanilla. Just like Rapunzel. As soon as I had that thought, I hated myself for it. Violent sobs shook my entire body. Tooth gently stroked my hair.

Then a thought occurred to me and I literally felt my heart break. "What if-"I stumbled "What if that's it? What if that's all I get?"

Bunny half walked, half hopped over to me and put a paw on my shoulder. "She's a tough Sheila mate. You'll see her again." His voice rang with extra confidence.

"He is right my boy." North declared. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "I feel it…in my belly." He shook his mid-section gently. I found it in me to laugh a little, but my inside still felt hollow.

Sandy took my hand in his and an image of Rapunzel and I running to each other and embracing each other. I began to feel my heartbeat again. Sandy always knew just what to say.

"You're right. Let's get her back. I'm gonna get her back."

They all cheered and North hurled a snow globe at the paint coated wall. I jumped in first.

I was getting pretty good at landing post-teleportation, but what I saw shocked me to my core. I lost my footing and fell on my ass, hard.

The workshop was in disarray. Toys and elves were strewn everywhere. A thin layer of black sand coated every single toy. The yeti's desperately chased a horse that was running ramped around the workshop. Merida's horse; but Merida was nowhere in sight.

"Oh no." we all seemed to mutter at once. Both girls were gone. Pitch was definitely up to something, and it wasn't good. A severe fire lit in my stomach at the thought of my friends at his mercy.

"I'm going to get Hiccup." I announced and took off before anyone could protest.

It wasn't that long of a flight, but I didn't fly fast enough and the sadness caught up to me. Tears didn't flow this time, but my lungs filled with cement and my muscles ache with an ancient pain that I had suppressed a long time ago. It all came bubbling to the surface. Just when things were looking good for me again, it all fell apart. Just like that ice.

I shook the thought from my mind, or more it was chased away when a huge black form came rocketing toward me.

The creature moved with such grace and speed, as though it were made of lightning. Its form was sleek and smooth, except for its back. A lump, a brown and green lump clung to the dragons back.

I laughed out of surprise in spite of myself. "Hiccup!" I called to him.

At the sound of his name, the brunette whipped around so fast, he nearly fell into the razor sharp trees below us.

"Jack?" the look on his face was absolutely priceless. "What are you doing here?"

There was simply too much to explain in mid-air, so I pointed to the ground and yelled "Let's land."

I landed first, but they weren't far behind me. I'll admit, the dragon was a lot to take in. a sleek ink black Nightfury. Yellow eyes looked me over cautiously as Hiccup dismounted."

"It's a sweet ride you've got there." I commented.

"Thanks, but he's not and it and his name is Toothless."

I did my best to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. He picked up on my mood instantly. His eyes softened and he stepped closer. "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to answer him, but no words would come out. All the grief and pain hit me like a brick to the brain, and the world went black.

I woke up lying on soft dirt. Hiccup knelt beside me on one side; Toothless stared at me from the other. "Jack." Hiccup said sternly. His eyes held mine and wouldn't let go. "What the hell is wrong?"

"Which version would you like? Long or short?"

"Short for time's sake"

I could sum up the past several hours in four words. "Pitch has the girls."

He shot to his feet and pulled me to mine. "Can you fly?" he asked

I tried but immediately felt woozy and fell back to my feet. "Nope."

He had already mounted the dragon and extended his hand to me. "Hop on and hold on tight."

By the time we got back to the workshop, I had completely caught Hiccup up to speed on the tragedies of the day.

When we soared into the main room, Bunny nearly had a heart attack. North didn't even flinch when the beast landed five feet from him.

Hiccup quickly did introductions before we ran off. "Toothless, everybody. Everybody, toothless. Play nice. "With that we darted off toward our room.

"Where are you blokes off to then?" Bunny called after us.

"To get the girls back. We have a plan." I shouted back.

_**Thank you for the support to all my lovely reviewers. Please keep doing so. I can't get better if you don't tell me how.**_


	15. inventions and inprisonment

Chapter 15 Hiccup POV

My hands flew as though they had lives of their own. This always happened when I invented. I never have to think about what I'm doing. It just happens. I had to be fast. Every second I sat there, was another second Merida might be with Pitch.

Jack was the one who came up with the plan in the first place. It was my job to make it happen.

He relentlessly paced the room, scratching his head. Every time I turned to check on him, more and more ice grew across the floor. He even started making it snow once. We looked like we had a bad case of dandruff. His silky glove glowed brighter with every step.

"Dude!" I yelled at him "You're bleeding."

His white hair was stained red like a fresh canvas splattered with paint. He released his grip and pulled his shaking fingers away from his head. Jacks eyes had a wild look to them and his entire body trembled. We were all taking the girls disappearances hard, but Jack was falling apart at the seams.

"It's gonna be fine. We are going to get them back you know."

"I know." His voice was surprisingly steady and strong compared to the rest of him. "It's just, they're with _him._ Pitch Black. I can't help but worry about what he's doing to them."

"Jack I-"I started but he cut me off.

"And it's all my fault." He finally met my eyes. Usually, they were full of a playful and occasionally mischievous light, but now they were empty. Broken like a stained glass window. Tears wove their way down his pale cheeks. "I was this close Hiccup." He held his fingertips an inch apart. "I could have saved her."

I momentarily abandoned my work, and grasped his shoulders. Every muscle was tense.

"You listen to me Jack Frost. It is not your fault. Her mother is the one who betrayed her. You will be the one who saves her." He tried to protest but I plowed on. "Rapunzel and Merida are so strong. We are going to see them again."

He embraced me with surprising strength. I never would have guessed how strong he actually was. His thin form and baggy sweatshirt were very misleading. The touch of his skin sent a slight shiver up my back. His hair smelled vaguely like peppermint gum.

I wrapped him in my arms and held him just as tightly. I felt a few tears splash onto my neck but I didn't care. A few of my own dripped into his bloody hair.

After several minutes of just standing there, supporting one and other, I released him. "You good?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said hoarsely. "I should probably wash out my hair, huh?"

"Well, we can't storm the Nightmare Kings palace with dirty hair, now can we? Wouldn't want to be rude." I joked.

He gently punched my shoulder and for a moment, the gleam in his eye was back. For a moment, Jack the Guardian of Fun stood before me again. He grabbed a towel and waked out of the door. Each step was heavy, but at least his head was held a little higher than before.

After Jack had left, I returned to my workbench. The seat was soft and a small candle lit everything perfectly. There were numerous drawers which were enchanted to produce anything I asked for, so long as it would fit. The whole thing had a wonderful rustic feel to it, but my favorite part was new. North had given me a picture of Merida to keep. She smiled out at me from on top of Angus, her horse. When I saw it, I felt the touch of her sweet lips on mine all over again.

"Don't worry Merida. I'm coming."

Merida's POV

My cell was cold. Cold in a way that eats away at your bones and makes it hard to breathe. The cavern was poorly lit. I couldn't tell how big the entirety of it was; from what I could see, my castle would have easily fit in there.

The huge space was great for echoes. Screams bounced off the walls, magnified in volume and horror. Every scream of every person having a nightmare came through here after it left her lips. All their fear condensed into a single outburst. Pretty bad, huh? Now multiply that by a thousand, and you'll begin to know how I felt.

The worst part was the darkness. There was light, but that didn't matter. Everything was black. Obsidian coated the walls and lined the floor. The only actual change in color scheme was the several red stains on the walls and the crimson pools on the floor. I didn't want to know who it used to belong to.

I heard scuffling and muffled screams followed by a loud thud. Everything went silent. The noise had come from somewhere off to my right, and I strained to see what it was but couldn't. There were too many pointless staircase that no-one ever used in my way. That is, until they appeared right in front of me.

Pitch melted out of the shadows with a curvy woman in a very tight dress clinging sweetly to his arm. In his other hand, the creep held a chain. The other end extended into the blackness.

"Hello your majesty." He spat at me.

I gave him my deluxe you're-going-to-die stare with extra malice on the side.

"Oh don't look at me like that Merida. I brought you a present." He said it like I was a five year old, and he brought me some candy.

"I don't want anything from you." I spit at him.

"You sure?" he asked. Before I could come up with a witty answer, he yanked hard on the chain. A person was attached to the other side. A girl with long blonde hair. "Rapunzel!" I screamed. She didn't move.

"What did you do to her?" I demanded, fresh rage flooding my mind. The sight of my only real friend crumpled in a heap on the floor broke my heart. Hot tears poured down my face in a torrent.

Pitch's new 'friend' knelt beside Rapunzel's limp form and stroked her rosy cheek. "Get away from her!" I yelled, my voice dripping with rage.

She lazily met my eyes. She regarded me as though I were a particularly boring animal at the zoo. "She is my daughter. I may do with her as I please."

That was a deep blow to the gut. I was too stunned to even speak. Pitch laughed. It was a sickeningly maniacal little laugh. With a snap of his fingers, a pair of black snakes sprung from the walls. Except they weren't snakes, they were chains. They wound themselves around my friend's wrists and tore her lifeless body off the floor. She collided with the wall with a nauseating thud.

"Good-bye darlings." Rapunzel's mother cooed. Then the couple sauntered out of the room arm in arm, like a couple on their way to the theatre.

I screamed at Rapunzel to wake. "Please!" I pleaded. "Don't be dead." I would never see her sweet smile again if she died. "Rapunzel, come on." I felt tears splash onto my dry palms. Then she moved. It was very slight and small, but it was all I needed. My best friend was alive. Wed were going to be ok.

"Don't be so quick to assume dear." Pitch's voice rang out and filled the entire room like a balloon.

Rapunzel screamed in pain.


	16. i suceed from the family

Rapunzel's POV

I stood in what was probably a beautiful temple once. Now the silver columns had rusted and the marble tiles had cracked. I saw what used to be a stained glass window scattered into knifes on the floor. Shriveled flowers covered a broken alter at the head of the temple. Moonlight flooded in through the open ceiling.

The place would have been beautiful even now in its rustic phase, if the walls weren't charred. Everything was burnt and smoke hung in the air.

Outside, the moon dyed the sky red. Its light danced through the air and fell onto the earth. Everything was gone. Just a wide and open plain, covered in bodies. Each one clad in shining armor and royal colors. This was a bloody war with no winner.

Most of the weapons lay with their wielders on the hard ground. That is, all except for one. A single silver sword was jabbed into the soil as though it were butter. Blood dripped of the leather bound handle and the blade glinted violently in the moonlight. It radiated an intense harsh cold. I was terrified of it.

The longer I looked at it, the more tunnel visioned I must have gotten, because the sword grew steadily brighter. The only problem with that theory was that, I was fully aware of everything around me. The glow was so bright; I had to shield my eyes.

The light wove itself into whips. They lashed out one by one and fell onto the fallen soldiers. It pulled at their lifeless bodies with the strength of twenty men. The light tugged so hard, that the deceased souls came loose from their mortal moorings.

Each soul appeared to be woven from smoke and moonlight. Their clothes swirled around their frail bodies in a cyclone, and their hair floated about their faces as though they were underwater. The worst part was the faces. Each one elongated into a screaming grimace so painful, I felt it in my bones. Their mouths frozen in silent screams and their eyes, just empty sockets. It all came together in a picture so horrid, my heart stopped at the sight of them.

They surrounded me, pulling at my clothes and tugging on my hair. Every time they came into contact with me, my skin burned their touch was so cold. I screamed from the pain, but there was no-one to hear me.

I sat up in a cold sweat. "Just a dream." I told myself. The thought calmed me down until I looked around at my surroundings. The demon souls suddenly didn't seem so bad.

Everything was black. Pitch black. Bones and blood were scattered across the floor in heaps. It all reminded me of him. Pitch Valenious Black.

I sat up but my limbs were as heavy as lead. My tongue felt fuzzy and the world spun like a top. My heart beat filled my ears in a constant thump.

When the world stabilized again, I got a better look around. The room was huge. It stank of vinegar. It was dank and cold. The humidity was making Merida's unruly hair stand on end even worse than usual. Wait, "Merida?" I called to her. My voice came out a dry, raspy whisper, but it was enough. She heard me.

She jerked her head up and searched the room frantically until her eyes came to rest on my own. Beneath her tangled mess of hair, I could see her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying. "Rapunzel?" she asked, blinking back tears.

"Hey." I replied weakly.

"Thank the wisp your all right. I thought you were dead!" before that day, I didn't think anyone would care if I died. Knowing that somebody would miss me was the best feeling in the world.

"Well, I'm not dead, but I'm afraid that will change if we stay here much longer."

A melodious chuckle rung out through the cavern. It sent a violent shiver up and down my spine and nearly stopped my heart.

"Oh how right you are my darling flower." My mother cooed, stepping out of the shadows into the viciously pale light. She wore a new dress. Its silky black fabric matched her jet black hair. Blood red streaked like lightning through the skirt as she walked toward me. Each footstep clicked with the unmistakable sound of a high heel. I wasn't even allowed to wear shoes, but she wore those?!

The venom in her eyes matched that of a snake.

The very sight of her made my insides writhe with anger. How dare that traitor even show her face to me? I tried to stand up, to attack her, but metal bit into my wrists with ferocity. I bit my lip to keep from screaming.

"Careful dear." She said soothingly. It made me sick. "Listen to your mother. I do know best dear."

Something inside me snapped. I had been listening to those words for years, but hearing them then, filled me with such hatred. It was no longer a blind anger, but a brooding disgust. I was ashamed to call her family. "You are not my mother." I muttered.

"Speak up Rapunzel. Young ladies do not mumble."

"Amelia Gothel, you are not my mother, and only I know what's best for me!" I screamed. "You may have raised me, but you are not my mom. Mothers don't sell their daughters out and stab them in the back. I trusted you."

She looked me straight in the eyes. "Took you long enough you little brat." She hissed before turning to Merida. The red head simply sat cross-legged on the floor and matched the vile in Gothel's stare.

"I shall ask again, where is it?"

Merida kept her lips sealed tightly and innocently raised her eyebrows as if saying "_I don't know what you mean. Sorry." _

All the sweetness had dropped from my used-to-be mothers' voice. "Fine. If I can't persuade you, perhaps someone else can." She snapped her perfectly manicured fingers. Bloody smoke curled around them both. "Goodbye my flower." She hissed with a vulgar smile.

When the smoke cleared, I was left alone. I fought my bonds and screamed. I cursed Gothel, and called for Merida.

Eventually both my voice and my strength left me. Despite my complete exhaustion and extreme weakness, I pulled on the chains. The iron cut into my wrist but I wasn't worried. My mind was focused on something else. I was focused on escape.

I was not going to be a damsel in distress. I was not going to be helpless; not this time.


	17. i meet my doom, and acid

Merida's POV

I coughed and wheezed as the smoke filled my lungs and blurred my vision. It smelled so strongly of lavender, I could taste it on my tongue. The ground beneath me shifted, and I felt my stomach do a back-flip, threatening to regurgitate my breakfast. Gods that seemed like a long time ago. I close my eyes tight to keep from hurling.

When I felt the ground solid beneath my feet again, my eyes peeled open. I regretted that decision immediately. The scenery had changed, for the worse, which I didn't think was possible.

I stood in a circular arena, almost like the Coliseum. The walls, black like everything else in that gods forsaken place, were filled with holes and caves, to resemble a honeycomb pattern. They rose up a good forty feet. No escape that way. Beneath my feet, the ground was made up of dark dirt. It was hard packed and sloped. The floor all sagged toward the center, forming a sort of bowl.

The curve of the ground was not without purpose. In the center of the dip, a pool of acid boiled, a livid puss yellow. It rank of sulfur and hissed vigorously. I gagged violently. There was no ceiling, so moonlight flooded in to the arena, and glinted of the weapons scattered across the dusty earth

I was snapped out of my daze forcefully by a shrill, high voice like scattering glass. "Hello dear. Meet my new…thing. Her name is Gothel." Pitch sat in one of the larger alcoves with Rapunzel's mother-or Gothel- draped on his arm. Both were seated in elaborate thrones of black stone and gold.

"What do you want with me?" I screamed

Pitch's face broke into a psychotic smile. "Why, I brought you a friend to play with."

The moment the words left his thin lips, a deep low growl sounded behind me that made my entire body tremble. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, but I forced myself to turn around.

It was him; Mordu the Demon Bear. His hide was littered with weapons, some new some old, just like in my memory. His claws were as long and sharp as ever. Everything was exactly how I remembered it. This was the Deon that frequented my nightmares. The only change was the eyes. Before, a scar had rendered his left eye blind. It burned with a loneliness morphed into hatred by time. Now both eyes glowed with malice and a blood thirsty hunger. A hunger that could only be satisfied by my blood.

This was not the same creature I had faced a year ago. This was one of Pitch's creations, like the nightmare horse he used to bring me here in the first place. The beast was given one mission, one thought. Kill.

The beast crept forward on all fours, never taking its eyes off me. I scanned the room for something, anything, I could use against it.

That's when I spotted it. A wooden bow, my bow, lying on the other side of the arena.

In my distraction, not-Mordu got closer than I would have preferred. Its breath clogged my brain and rendered me immobile. The creature lashed out and my arm exploded in fiery pain. I stumbled backward as quickly as I could, while clutching the wound. My own warm, sticky blood poured over my trembling fingers.

My heart pounded in my ears, but I still heard Pitch and Gothel clapping and cheering at the beast's success. That did it. I was going to prove them wrong. I was going to win.

I ripped a part of my dress and tied it quickly around the gash, just as the monster charged. My brain kicked into over-drive. My senses went on high alert.

I stood my ground, and prepared myself. 3-2-1, I jumped just before the beast would have collided with me. I used its face like a spring board.

I soared through the air. For a terrifying moment, I was sure I was going to do a nose dive into the acid. Thank the wisps; I managed to angle myself away from the death pool. As the ground got closer, I twisted and rolled into the dirt. It wasn't my best landing, but it would have to do.

I had gone so far in my impromptu flight that my bow sat right beside me.

A good thirty feet stood between the demon bear and I. It glared at me with such vile; I felt my knees go weak. I drew my bow and my arm pulsed with pain, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to draw back harder.

Arrows flew on after another and each one found its mark. The beast reared back on its hind legs and I let my last arrow fly. It connected with the monsters chest in what should have been a fatal blow. But I'm not that lucky.

The creature just kept coming; Faster and faster. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to take off. I refused to run. I knew Pitch was watching, waiting for me to break; to plead, or better yet, to tell him where North's workshop was. That would _not_ happen. At least that was solid in my mind. I would rather die brave than live as a groveling coward. So I let the bear come

It lunged and I was pinned to the ground, my head connecting with the dirt sharply. Its teeth hung inches above my face, saliva dripping onto my forehead. The beast's breath alone was terrible (It stank of rotting flesh and blood), and then add my already mangled shoulder, plus the claws digging into my wrists. So yes, I screamed.

Red eyes met green ones just before the fatal blow. I saw no remorse, no regret, and certainly no mercy. All I saw when I looked into those eyes was hunger. A violent, grotesque need for victory. This thing was going to kill me. It would spill my blood and wouldn't even care. My death would hold no significance. I was just an appetizer for the bear and the night's entertainment for the happy couple on the balcony.

The thought didn't scare me in the slightest, but it did depress me greatly. I had always dreamed of dying heroically for the ones I love, not it a cave with the Nightmare King watching. I closed my eyes to keep from crying and took a deep breath. My final breath. If I was going to die, I was not going to die a traitor. North's secret would die with me.

Suddenly, a ferocious war cry echoed through the arena and the weight of the bear left me. Unfortunately, as I discovered when I opened my eyes, one of its razor claws did not. My blood, crimson and warm, trickled down my wrist, retracing the veins I had come from.

Gritting my teeth, I yanked it out. The pain was both wonderful (since I got it out) and terrible (since I had just ripped a claw out of my arm). I hurled it at Pitch but it failed miserably, missing by a good twenty feet. I turned to face my savior.

What I saw dropped my jaw. Rapunzel, blonde hair and all, was battling the bear. As a matter of fact, she was beating the bear. It made numerous attempts to slice her to ribbons, but she easily darted away, tucking and rolling as she went. What the beast didn't realize was how specific her path was.

I was about to run to her aid when Pitch's shrill scream nearly splintered my eardrums. It reminded me of a pherydactill. I got an idea.

I felt my quiver, but it was regrettably empty. All my arrows were embedded in the death bear. I wanted to scream, but settled for throwing my arms away from myself in frustration. Something small and round connected with my palm the instant I did so.

Grasped in my palms was an arrow made of beautiful white wood and green leaves that I had never seen before in my life. Scratch that, I had seen it before. I had dreamt it up as a child. I even tried to make it when I was seven, but every attempt I made failed miserably. So how did it get here? Unless…

I didn't have time to think about it. The arrow was nocked and pulled back as fast as lightning. I took a deep breath and fired. The moment I did, I knew it was going to miss. My one shot and I blew it.

I would have given anything, anything to make it change its course. I foolishly willed the point to hit its mark. I was just about to give up, when my heart quickened, and my stomach tightened into knots. Right before my eyes, the arrow changed its course away from the wall and straight into Pitch's side. The scream he released was so chillingly horrid, I felt my heart stop. I wasn't the only one.

The bear had stopped mid-swing, a blow that would have connected with Rapunzel's head and killed her. It cringed at the sound. Rapunzel seized the opportunity. She darted through the bears legs one last time. The knot she had woven was so beautiful and intricate, the kind of thing only an artist like her could do.

With a swift tug on her hair, the knot tightened around the bear's feet, binding it like a steer at the rodeo. It wriggled against its golden bonds, but seventy feet of hair makes quite the rope.

Rapunzel bent over the creature and whispered "I'm sorry" before plunging a sword into its left eye. The beast howled in pain and she swiftly untied it.

For a moment I thought the girl had gone mad, but instead of helping the demon, she pushed it into the acid pool. The revolting yellow liquid enveloped its body. With a menacing hiss, the bear disappeared into the carnivorous lake.

Blood soaked my shirt and dust clung to my tongue, but I felt amazing. My muscles ached with every step, but I still ran to Rapunzel. She met me half way.

Her arms were warm like the early morning sunlight. We both wept with relief, laughing and sobbing at the same time.

After sometime, and several tears later, I mumbled "thank you." into her shoulder. "You saved my life back there."

She laughed, a sound like small bells. "You're welcome."

When we finally detached from eachother, she noticed my shoulder. "Oh my gods Merida!" she exclaimed, her eyes the size of dinner plates. "Sit down."

With force, she plunked me down on the hard soil, before examining my wounds. "How bad is it?" I asked. No awnser; not a good sign. Instead of a reply, she wrapped a big portion of her hair around my bloody arm taking extreme care to be gentle.

"Don't freak out." She said, staring me in the eye.

I had lost a lot of blood and didn't really care. I just nodded weakly, feeling the blood drain away from my face.

She took a deep breath and began to sing. Her voice rang out like bluebells that tinkle in a warm spring breeze. I would have listened to the words, I'm sure they were beautiful, but I was just a tad too distracted by the glowing hair.

I nearly had a massive heart attack when the blondes roots were illuminated gold. Not gold like her regular hair, but glittering, magicall golden hair. The light tumbled down her shoulders flowing through her locks like a river. It glowed with warm light that battled the surrounding darkness.

Eventually the river of light poured over my body. I could feel the pain lessening, being washed away. The ache drained out of my muscles and the fog cleared from my mind.

Before I knew it, she stopped singing and her hair returned to it's natural color. She looked at me tentatively, afraid I might scorn her or call her a freak. "Magicall hair?" I asked. She nodded gently. "well, it has to get more normal from here. Right?"

"Don't be so sure dears." A sticky sweet voice called. I had just enough time to grab Rapunzels hand before we tumbled into the inky blackness together.

**hey guys, thank you so much for being patient. Finals week is coming, but I will do my best to get the next chapter soon. I'm so glad you guys like it.**

**Elsa Frost, you are amazing. thank you for all the lovely words of encouragement. it really means a lot to me.**

**thanks, keep reviewing, and i'll see you again soon. I promise.**

**(PS. apologize for the cliffhanger, not really. haha!)**


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